The Titleless Fanfic
by LICKRISHSTIX
Summary: COMPLETE!
1. Guilty Dreams

Sorry, forgot the disclaimer. Ahem...

We do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters, we're not going to make any money off of this story, it's just for fun, don't sue us.

**Chapter 1**

**Guilty Dreams**

As usual, Harry Potter sat in his room, staring up at the ceiling. It was about all he ever did since school had gotten out. He looked up at the calendar that he used to mark the days until school would start again. Harry kept telling himself that he only had a little bit longer to wait; he had gotten a letter from his father's friend Remus Lupin telling him that he would be going to stay at Grimmauld Place partway through the summer.

You see, Harry Potter is not a normal person. He hated the summers more than anytime in the year, has never had a real birthday party, and...oh yeah, he was a wizard. But as he thought of going back to Grimmauld Place, he was even more saddened than he was at the end of the term. His godfather, Sirius Black, had been living there, which was the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix. However, Sirius's cousin Bellatrix Lestrange, a Death Eater, had killed him just a little over a month ago. The vision of his godfather falling through the veil had been haunting him since he had been back at his Aunt and Uncle's house, where he had lived since a very powerful dark wizard, Lord Voldemort, had killed his parents. No matter what anyone else told him, he still thought of Sirius's death as his fault, for he had been saving Harry from a group of Death Eaters. But his Aunt Petunia, coming upstairs to give him a bowl of soup, soon pulled him out of his musings.

"Come on Harry, you need to eat something," she scolded him.

Harry's only response was a small smile, barely enough to move his lips, and Petunia, taking the hint, left the room.

The Durselys seemed to be nicer to him this summer. His cousin Dudley had even let him watch a movie on his TV, and Uncle Vernon had yet to yell at him. He assumed that Dudley and his Uncle Vernon's reactions were caused by Lupin's lecture at King's Cross, telling the Dursleys to be a bit nicer. But Aunt Petunia seemed to be genuinely kind to him. Maybe he was imagining it, maybe it was just a coincidence, or maybe it was the fact that they didn't know that Sirius was dead. Sirius was thought by most of the world to be a mass murderer who killed 13 people with one curse. However, Harry had learned that he was innocent at the end of his third year. After learning that Harry's godfather was a convicted murderer, the Durselys had let him keep his school things in his room, because Harry hadn't mentioned the fact that Sirius was innocent. Whatever the case was, Harry was glad his relatives were leaving him alone.

Harry sat on his bed, still thinking about his godfather. As the soup got cold, he finally fell into a restless sleep, filled with horrible dreams. There was a black dog sitting on top of a blanket on the beach. Sirius!! Harry ran to him, but as he got close enough to touch his shaggy fur, the ground beneath him caved in, and when only his head and front paws were visible, Padfoot started talking to him,

"It's your fault I'm dead!" he screamed. "You should have done better in Occlumency, you should have learned to take care of yourself!"

And with that he sank into the sand. Harry leapt forward, but caught only bits of sand. He looked up as a shadow came over him, and saw Lupin, offering him a hand. As he took it and got to his feet, Moony started shouting at him as well.

"You should have realized that it was only a trick! If it weren't for you Sirius would still be here!"

Harry tried to protest, but couldn't seem to work his mouth. Remus then turned into Ron, who was joined by Hermione.

"You know, he's right. It is all your fault."

"We tried to tell you," Hermione reminded him.

Ron and Hermione were soon replaced by Albus Dumbledore, who proceeded to tell him to throw numerous objects at him, and suddenly his face turned pale, his nostrils became flat and eyes red, and he let out a cold high pitched laugh as Harry was engulfed by a bright green light...

Yes, we know it's a bad chapter. The fic had to start somehow. We'll update it once Emmerdoodles has KCB over and the intro at her house instead of in her locker at school. Sorry. Read and Review! Please??


	2. Owl Post

Chapter 2

Owl Post

Harry awoke from his dream in a cold sweat, his scar mildly aching. He looked up at the clock and realized it was 7:00, already morning. He absentmindedly got dressed and was about to go downstairs for breakfast (usually the only meal he ate these days) but was delayed by Hedwig, tapping on his window. She had a letter from Ron and Hermione, who were apparently already at Grimmauld Place.

_Dear Harry,_

_How are you? You're not blaming yourself for what happened at the Ministry, are you? If you are, (which we bet) don't, it wasn't your fault. We both agree that we would have done the same thing. So how are you? We hope your relatives are treating you ok. Professor Lupin says you'll be coming over to Grimmauld Place soon. When? We're both already here (Ron-because my parents are in the order Hermione-my parents are on holiday). Mrs. Weasley is sending some homemade cakes to cheer you up. Well, don't get yourself down, Harry. See you soon!_

_Love, _

_Ron and Hermione_

P.S. Love was Hermione's idea, not Ron's, who is very intelligent and would not write something so stupid.

_P.P.S. Ron is just sore that I'm going to stay at Viktor's house sometime over the summer._

_P.P.P.S. No I'm not._

_P.P.P.P.S. Yes you are._

_P.P.P.P.P.S. No I'm..._

_P.P.P.P.P.P.S. Why don't we just say "Repeat"._

_P.P.P.P.P.P.P.S. Ok._

Harry laughed at Ron and Hermione's written argument, the first time he had laughed in days. He put their letter in his secret compartment underneath the loose floorboard, going downstairs in his best mood since school got out. His good mood vanished, however. As he was walking down the stairs, he heard an enraged yell from Uncle Vernon and a terrified shriek from Aunt Petunia. He ran down the rest of the stairs to see Errol, the Weasely family's owl, land in Uncle Vernon's cereal.

"Boy! That ruddy owl flew into my face and dropped a package on Petunia's head! That's it! Out of the way!!" He pushed Harry aside as he stormed upstairs. Harry knew what he was going to do: take his school things out of his room and either burn them or lock them in the cupboard under the stairs. He resolved to sit down at the table and at least eat some cereal. Sure enough, Uncle Vernon came downstairs a minute later and heaved Harry's trunk into the cupboard. Dudley came in to view the scene; he always liked watching Harry get punished. But this time, he didn't want to just watch. As Harry helplessly watched Vernon stuff a shrieking Hedwig into her cage and lock the cupboard door, Dudley took Harry's cereal bowl and flipped it onto his head. Aunt Petunia looked over to see Harry covered in milk, wearing an upside-down bowl on his head. She shooed him away after giving him his package and told him not to play with his food.

"I can't take it any more!! I'm going for a walk!!!!" Harry screamed.

"Whatever," his aunt replied.

While outside, Harry was fuming about Uncle Vernon. He planned to use the muggle hairpin trick he learned from Fred and George the second he thought the Dursleys were asleep. As he kicked sticks across the sidewalk and thought of many tortures he could put the Dursleys through if he was allowed to use magic, he was totally unaware that he was being watched. All throughout the neighborhood, people were spying on him, hiding behind bushes, in houses, in trees in the park, everywhere. There were even some underneath invisibility cloaks. They followed him at a distance, sometimes diving behind objects to ensure they weren't seen. They followed him through the neighborhood as Harry walked farther and farther away from his Aunt and Uncle's. He finally stopped when it started to rain. But when he turned around, all of the people got out of their hiding places, stepping out from behind trees, walking out of houses, and taking off invisibility cloaks. Even though it was starting to get very dark as the clouds covered the sky, Harry could see what the people were wearing: black cloaks with masks covering their faces, their wands out. They were Death Eaters.

Once again, we'll edit this once we get the nice little intro and closing sheet we wrote out of Emmerdoodles's locker. RR Please!


	3. Death Eaters

**Emm-did you like the cliffie? I liked the cliffie! But then again, I'm one of the authors, so I would like the cliffie…I'll be shutting up now.**

_KCB-Umm, "Cliffie"?_

**Emm-Duh, cliffhanger?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? Where have you been the past however many months it's been since I discovered the wonderful world of cliffies???**

_KCB-Anyway…back to thestory. I HATE THIS COMPUTER!!!! I CAN'T TYPE ON THIS COMPUTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_

**Emm-How is it any different from your computer???? **

_KCB-Your computer's keys stick or something. Either that or you're just used to it and I'm not. ANYWAY…back to the story…_

Disclaimer: We don't own these characters. We are writing FANfiction, so therefore we are FANs. If we were J.K. Rowling, we would be rich and Sirius would not have died! Sirius!!!! NO!!!!!!!

Chapter 3

Death Eaters

It was now, when he was staring into the masked faces of the Death Eaters, that he realized two things. One, he was supposed to stay in his Aunt and Uncle's house so the Death Eaters couldn't harm him. Two, he couldn't use his wand, because he was still underage. Now that he was probably a good mile from his house, if you could call it that, what would he do? He could try using magic, but he would probably be expelled for it. He weighed his options: Be expelled or be killed and let the entire world down, since the Prophecy had stated that he was the only one who could kill Lord Voldemort. He thought it would probably be better to be expelled, so he took out his wand and shouted the first spell that came to his mind-Tarantallegra. His spell hit one of the Death Eaters and his legs started moving uncontrollably. Harry took this chance to run. But run where? The Dursleys wouldn't help, that was for sure. His mind jumped to Mrs. Figg. She was an old neighbor who usually watched Harry when the Dursleys were away, but Harry had learned last year that she was a Squib, someone borne of magic parents but couldn't use magic. Did she know that he had left? Maybe she had a fireplace and they could Floo somewhere. Floo powder was by far his favorite method of traveling, but it was better than staying and letting himself get killed or captured by the Death Eaters.

He made up his mind and ran in the direction of Mrs. Figg's house, shooting spells over his shoulder now and then. From a few grunts he could tell he had hit some of them, but there were still at least 20, and all of them were constantly firing spells at him. It didn't look like they were trying to kill him, but they were still either trying to stun him or knock him to the ground. They were gaining, with their spells getting closer, and he was still pretty far away from Mrs. Figg's. Harry turned down an alley to avoid their spells, but that was a mistake. It was a dead-end. Harry waited, his wand ready, when he realized that the Death Eaters weren't coming. Had they not seen him duck in here? Then he saw a shadow walking towards him. He was ready and waiting to stun him. But as he was about to fire the spell, the figure stepped out.

"Wait Harry!! It's me!" it cried.

"Professor Lupin!"

"You know Harry, I haven't been your teacher for a while," he told Harry. "You don't need to keep calling me professor."

"It's a force of habit, sorry," Harry replied.

"We're just glad to find you alive, Harry. You gave us quite a scare," a new voice responded. It was Mr. Weasley, Ron's father.

"Yes, what were you doing out of the house?" Remus asked.

"Uncle Vernon made me mad because he locked up all of my school stuff in the cupboard again," Harry answered.

"Why?" Lupin and Mr. Weasley asked at the same time.

"Errol flew into his face." At this Mr. Weasley's ears turned red.

"Well," Moony started, trying to change the subject, "I guess that doesn't really matter. Come on, let's get back to the Durselys."

"No!!" Harry protested.

"Harry, they are your family," Mr. Weasley reminded him.

"And besides, all of your school stuff is still there." Lupin winked at Harry, who immediately understood what he meant.

"You mean I get to leave?" he asked hopefully.

"Yep," Tonks, who had just apparated and was still sporting pink hair, answered. So while the other Order members went to collect any fallen Death Eaters, Lupin, Tonks, Mr. Weasley, and Harry left for the Durselys.

"Who are you and what do you want?!" Petunia shrieked as she opened the door.

"Please, Mrs. Dursley, we only want to get Harry's things, then he'll come live with us for the rest of the summer," Remus told her.

"Oh, well, in that case, come right in. Harry's things are right in that cupboard."

"Thank you Mrs. Dursley."

"Harry, do you have anything you want to take from your room?" Mr. Weasley asked. Harry's mind jumped to the compartment underneath his bed.

"Yeah I do, I'll go get that now," he replied. By the time he came back downstairs with the remaining contents of his room, Lupin and Mr. Weasley had unlocked the cupboard and packed his trunk.

"Just give that stuff to me Harry," Lupin remarked. "I'll put it in your trunk." It only took a few seconds, since, Harry suspected, Mr. Weasley had magically expanded Harry's trunk to fit everything, and then the three of them were flooing back to Grimmauld Place, the closest thing Harry had to a real home.


	4. Grimmauld Place

_KCB-I still think that the end of that chapter is confusing._

**Emm-What was confusing about that chapter???**

_KCB- Well for one thing, you wrote it. For another thoing (okay, I'm really having issues with this keyboard) excuse me, thing, I really don't know. It just confuses me._

__

**Emm-Well then. On to chapter 4!!!!!!!!!**

****

Disclaimer: Would you like us to take some Veritaserum to convince you that WE'RE NOT J.K. ROWLING?!?!?!?!?

Chapter 4

Grimmauld Place

As he fell out of the fireplace (this was definitely not his favorite way to travel) Ron and Hermione ran forward and hugged him.

"Oh Harry!" Hermione cried. "We were so worried about you!"

"Hermione, that's really great and all, I'm just fine now, but I won't be if you don't stop choking me," Harry gasped.

"Oh, right, sorry," Hermione let go of Harry and he caught his breath as Lupin and Mr. Weasley stepped out of the fireplace.

"Harry," Remus asked hesitantly, "are you ok? Why are you lying on the floor?"

"Hermione almost strangled him when she gave him a hug," Ron replied.

"I did not!" she argued.

"Why don't you help Harry take his things up to his room?" suggested Mr. Weasley.

"Good idea," Lupin agreed, as he pushed Harry's trunk over towards the three of them.

"You're with me, the same room we had last year," Ron told Harry as they lugged his trunk up the stairs. Harry nodded, as he was afraid to talk. This house had so many memories of Sirius; it was hard to keep his tears from coming. It had only been about 3 years since he had learned Sirius was innocent and helped him escape on Buckbeak the hippogriff. That reminded him-what happened to Buckbeak? Sirius had been taking care of him. So he asked,

"Hermione, Ron, what happened to Buckbeak?"

"I think that Lupin has been taking care of him," Ron replied. "He seems really depressed."  
"Who, Lupin?" Harry asked.

"No, Buckbeak! It's like he can tell that Sirius..." Hermione trailed off, chancing a sideways look at Harry, who was currently very interested in the wallpaper. "Oh Harry!" she cried as she hugged him once more. This was too much for Harry, who started sobbing into Hermione's shoulder. Ron took this opportunity to take Harry's trunk into the room, as Harry and Hermione talked about Sirius.

"Hermione, no matter what you guys say I'll always feel like this was my fault."

"But it wasn't Harry, you can't keep blaming yourself!"

"I had a dream last night. Sirius was sitting on the sand, and then he started sinking and saying that I should have learned to protect myself and then Lupin came and got angry at me; he said that if it weren't for me he would still be here and then you guys said it was my fault and..."

"Harry," Hermione put her hand on his shoulder, "don't do this to yourself. Just repeat after me-it is not my fault. Can you say that with me? It's not you fault, Harry. Sirius wouldn't want you to do this, you know that. Besides, if it weren't for you, he would have gotten the Dementor's Kiss at 3rd year, remember?"

"You helped too, you know."

"A little, but you really did most of it. You got Buckbeak out of Hagrid's garden, you flew him up to the tower, and you used your Patronus to save us all. But anyway Harry, this wasn't your fault. Sirius was supposed to stay here, but he obviously cared enough about you to risk being either killed by Death Eaters or recaptured by the Ministry to protect you."

"So? It was my fault he was there in the first place."

"But we went to go save him!"

"If I had just studied Occlumency we wouldn't have had any problem!"

"I don't think I could have mastered Occlumency with Snape for a teacher."

"Still, I should have tried harder!"

"I really don't think you were to blame at all. But let's talk about this later, I think Ron's feeling a little awkward." It was true; Ron was standing in the doorway with a strange look on his, partway between pity, anger, and embarrassment.

"C'mon," he told them, "lunch is ready." They left Hermione's room (where they had been talking) and walked downstairs to the kitchen, Harry feeling a little less guilty after his talk with Hermione. He made a mental note to thank her and tell her she would make a good psychiatrist once he was feeling better.

After lunch Harry was feeling just as bad as he did when he came. It was Ron's turn to cheer him up, and he had just the right idea.

"Hey Harry, why don't we go play Quidditch?"

"Umm, Ron, wouldn't that be kind of suspicious?" Hermione pointed out.

"Oh yeah, it would, wouldn't it. Well, we could Floo over to the Burrow," Ron suggested.

"Yeah," replied Harry. "Quidditch is just what I need now." So after asking Lupin and Mr. Weasley for permission, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, along with Crookshanks, flooed to the Burrow. Since Harry didn't have his Firebolt (It had been confiscated last year) he borrowed one of the twins' brooms, since they had left them there. Harry and Ron played Quidditch for almost 3 hours, while Hermione watched and did homework and Crookshanks chased gnomes. Harry seemed much better after a few good games, although he was a little concerned that he wouldn't be able to play during school, since he had gotten a lifetime ban from Umbridge, last year's Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

"Oh, I'm sure Dumbledore will lift that," Hermione reassured him. "But we ought to be heading back, it's probably almost dinner."

"And we wouldn't want to miss that, now would we?" Ron grinned. Harry and Hermione stared at him. "Well, don't you need to get ready for your big date?"

"Ron!" cried Hermione exasperatedly. "That's not until tomorrow!"

"Yeah," he replied, "but I thought girls took at least 24 hours to get ready!"

"Aaaaah! Ron, give it a rest!" and she chased him into the burrow, with Harry and Crookshanks close behind.

That was a little better, right?? Right?????????? Sigh R and R Please.


	5. A Couple of Shocking Discoveries

This chapter is so much more interesting than the others, and we're finally introducing the humor element here. Hope you like it!

_thoughts_

Chapter 5

A Couple of Shocking Discoveries

After having a great dinner prepared by Mrs. Weasley and Tonks ("Oh, you were so late in coming back, we figured you didn't want any. Just kidding!"), using the classic bucket of water over the door gag to get back at Tonks, and playing15 rounds of go fish with boring muggle cards, Harry, Ron, and Hermione decided it was time to turn in for the night.

"Yeah Hermione, we ought to got to bed, you need your beauty sleep," Ron joked.

"For your information, I thought we should go to bed because the adults looked like they wanted to talk about something," she argued.

"Well, in that case, we should have stayed there until one in the morning so they would be so tired they would let us in the meeting!" Ron suggested.

"Ron, I don't think they could ever be that tired. Goodnight Hermione."

"Goodnight you two. See you in the morning," she replied.

"Goodnight Hermione." Harry and Ron went into their room.

"Wait a second Ron, I just realized something: where is Ginny?"

"She's staying with Fred and George. They're using her as a guinea pig to test some new products for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes."

"And she and your parents are ok with this how???"

"Well, my parents don't know anything about it, and Ginny's getting paid for it."

"Okay then. Goodnight Ron."

"G'night Harry."

For the first time in a while, Harry woke up at a reasonable time and couldn't remember any dreams containing Sirius, people telling him it was his fault, or Voldemort. He thought that he was getting better at holding back his grief, but he didn't know that Remus had slipped some Dreamless Sleep Potion into his last Butterbeer. He looked up at the clock-it was 9 in the morning. That seemed like a good time to get up and have breakfast. He looked over to see whether Ron was awake, but he wasn't in his bed. _Oh well_, Harry figured, _he probably already got up._ So he got up and was about to go downstairs and eat when two pairs of hands pulled him into Hermione's bedroom.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"We have something to tell you," Ron replied.

"Okay, shoot."

"Well," Hermione started, "Ron and I used a couple of extendable ears..."

"Hermione?! You used extendable ears?" Harry cried.

"Yes, but that's not the point. The point is we heard the adults talking. Snape said that the Death Eaters are trying to figure out where Headquarters is and attack it."

"But Grimmauld Place is protected by all sorts of enchantments and wards and a secret keeper, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but Hermione reckons they'll still be looking for a new place for headquarters."

"What do you mean, Hermione reckons?" Harry asked with a suspicious grin.

"They realized we were there and took away the Extendable Ears," Ron replied dejectedly. "Well, enough about that, let's go have breakfast." So the three of them walked downstairs, trying not to look guilty, had some pancakes, and played another few rounds of go fish.

"Oh no!" Hermione cried.

"What, did you just realize you're holding 4 of the same cards?" Ron asked. "I hate these muggle cards."

"No, it's not that, Viktor's going to be here in 3 hours!" she announced.

"Um, so?" replied Harry and Ron.

"So?!" she screamed. "I have to get ready!!!" And she raced up the stairs leaving Ron and Harry to fight over her cards.

"Women," Ron muttered an hour later, when Hermione and Tonks were racing around the house looking for Sleekeazy's Hair Potion. "She's going over there for a few days, not a ball!"

"Well, maybe she just needs to pack it, just in case."

"Yeah, uh-uh."

"C'mon, let's go upstairs. I don't think we're really wanted here." Things only got worse for Hermione. She had everything packed and was almost ready when she let out a terrified scream. Ron raced out of the room to see what happened and came back laughing his head off.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Crookshanks was chasing Kreacher through the house and Kreacher took the mirror into the attic. Now they're going through the house screaming for a mirror!" At that point Hermione came into their room and started frantically searching Harry's trunk for a mirror. She let out a sigh of relief and muttered,

"_Reparo_! Oh Harry, you're a lifesaver! Why did you have a broken mirror in your trunk anyway?"

"You mean that's still in there?" he asked. Hermione nodded, showing him a newly repaired mirror. "That's a two-way mirror. I got it from Sirius."

"Oh," was all Hermione could say, and then she left the room.

"Hello," said the mirror enthusiastically.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!!!!" Hermione screamed and dropped the mirror, which shattered.

"Now what Hermione?" Ron laughed. "Is one of you hairs not in the right place?"

"N-no, no, I just thought I saw something, but, no, everything's ok!" she replied, re-repairing the mirror and slamming her door after running into her room.

"Once again," Ron sighed, "women." Inside her room, Hermione was clutching her chest and telling herself that she was just seeing things. She looked into the mirror again, and didn't see anything unusual. She let out a sigh of relief and said to herself,

"You know you couldn't have seen Sirius, he's dead." She looked back into the mirror and saw, not her face, but Sirius Black's. However, he stopped her before she could drop the mirror again.

"Hermione, please, listen for a second before you throw the mirror on the floor! I'm not dead!"

"What?! Of course you're dead, you fell through the veil and everything!"

"That veil was fake! Somehow, somebody switched the veils. The one I fell through worked sort of as a Portkey, but it took a long time and I didn't take the veil with me! How long has it been, anyway? What day is it?"

"It's July 28," she whispered, not believing what was happening.

"Oh, I thought it was earlier than that. Oh well, never mind that. Hermione, I'm in a desert somewhere, and I ran out of chocolate frogs an hour ago!"

"Well, I would send you some Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, but I don't think the owl would survive"

"Sure, you care more about the owl than me! Thanks a lot! Just get me out of here!!!"

"Do you know which desert?"

"How would I know which desert I'm in??"

"Wait...how do I know you're really Sirius and not an imposter? Show me Padfoot." She looked into the mirror and saw a shaggy black dog looking back at her, panting heavily. "Okay, good enough for me. But how am I going to get you out of that desert?"

"I think the mirror has a locating spell on it. Just say, 'show me the other mirror' and it should show the location on a map."

"Ok, let's try this. Show me the other mirror." Suddenly a map appeared in front of her, a dot blinking in the middle of the Sahara Desert in Africa. "Great, the Sahara." Then she heard Mrs. Weasley's voice coming from downstairs. "Oh no!" Hermione cried. "Viktor is here!"

"What?!" Sirius shouted. "Viktor who?!"

"Viktor Krum, I'm staying at his house for a few days. Wait a second, why don't you just apparate here??"

"I can't for some reason, wouldn't I have tried that already? I'm not exactly enjoying myself here."

"Probably another little feature of that Portkey. Well, I have to go."

"Can you give the mirror to Harry? Nothing against you, Hermione, but I want to talk to him."

"I understand. Wait, I have an idea. I'll bring the mirror with me, I bet Viktor could apparate to you and get you out of the Sahara, and then you could be my birthday present to Harry! I haven't had any good ideas yet, and you would be perfect! You could stay with me in Viktor's house, then on the 31st you could come back with me and be Harry's present!!"

"Works for me, as long as Krum can get me out of this desert!" He spat out the word Krum.

"Oh come on Sirius, Viktor is really nice!"

"Hermione!" Tonks's voice came floating up from the first floor.

"Well, it looks like I have to go. I'll talk to you later."

"Right," Sirius replied as his face faded from the mirror. Hermione put it in her pocket as she went down the stairs, with Harry carrying her suitcase, to say hello Krum.

There. much longer than the other four. Review please!!!!!!!!!!


	6. Hermione, Krum, and Padfoot

Here's chapter 6!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We still don't own this story. If we really were J. K. rowling, why would we waste the 6th book on a website?

Chapter 6

Hermione, Krum, and Padfoot

"Viktor, hi!!" Hermione exclaimed as he walked out of their fireplace. Ron had come downstairs and looked like he was fighting talking to Viktor.

"Vell, ve ought to be going now, Herm-own-ninny. Hello to all of you."

"Here's your trunk, Hermione, have fun."

"What are you, her mother?" Ron joked. Viktor took a handle of the suitcase, threw some Floo powder into the fireplace, and shouted,

"Krum Manor, Bulgaria!" and he disappeared. Hermione gave them one last smile, checked her pocket to make sure that the mirror was still there, and then she too disappeared.

"Ron," Harry began, "why are so upset about Hermione going off with Krum for a few days?"

"What makes you think I'm upset?" he responded shortly.

"I can tell, it's easy. What's the matter?"

"Come here." And he dragged Harry upstairs. "Well, number one, I'm worried that he realized that this is headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix. Number two, I-I, I like Hermione," his ears turned red. "I like her more than just a friend, and I wish Viktor would get away from her so she'd realize that!" Harry stared at him for a few seconds before talking.

"Ron, I'm sure this thing with Krum can't last forever. Hermione will notice, you'll see. I'm just worried about Krum getting at you," he laughed. Now it was Ron's turn to stare. "He talked with me during the Triwizard Tournament, he wanted to know if there was anything between us. I said no, and he looked really relieved. It was kind of funny to see him acting like that."

Back at Krum Manor, Hermione was in deep conversation with Viktor. He was showing her around the house, which was a lot bigger than Hermione had expected. It was darkly decorated, but still had a comforting and warm feel. The room where she would be staying was one of the nine bedrooms; in addition, the house had three sitting rooms, two kitchens, a huge dining room, a greenhouse, and many other rooms Hermione hadn't seen yet.

"And this is one of the five bathrooms," Viktor continued. Bathroom, Hermione thought, was an understatement. The room had three taps, a shower, hot tub, and a mountain of towels and soaps. "This is our guest bathroom closer to your room, so you can use it, Herm-own-ninny. I vill let you get unpacked, and then, I vos hoping we could eat dinner, just the two of us," he smiled nervously.

"That would be great Viktor," Hermione smiled back at him. Then, to both of their surprises, she gave him a kiss on the cheek before he left the room. Hermione stood, unsure of what had just happened, when she was pulled out of her trance by Sirius shouting her name.

"Hermione! Are you deaf?? Helloooooooo, Sirius calling Hermione, do you copy?"

"Sorry Sirius, what's up?"

"That's kind of an obvious question, isn't it? Have you talked to Krum yet?"

"Well, yeah, of course I did."

"About getting me out of the Sahara!!!!!!!!"

"Oh! Right, sorry, I haven't yet."

"Well, could you hurry up?? Please?"

"Okay, I'll try to bring it up sometime soon."

"Hermione, just hurry please?"

"Yes, I will. Don't worry, we'll have you out of the Sahara in no time!" Sirius's only response was a bark-like laugh before he disappeared once again.

Not long after that Hermione and Krum were sharing a dinner by candlelight in the greenhouse, surrounded by plants of all shapes and colors.

"So, Herm-own-ninny, how is the veather in London?" Krum asked, who seemed to be extremely nervous.

"You know Viktor, you could talk about Quidditch if you want, I don't mind."

"Really? Vell then..." and he launched into a detailed explanation of how Bulgaria had flattened Spain in their last Quidditch match. Finally, Hermione gathered up enough courage to talk to Viktor about Sirius.

"Um, Viktor?" she started hesitantly. He nodded and waited for her to continue. "I have this friend, who we all thought was dead. But, it turns out that he's not dead, but was actually transported to the Sahara desert by a strange type of Portkey. I was-was wondering if you could help me get him back here?"

"Who is this friend of yours?"

"Sirius Black," she muttered.

"Could you please pass the chicken?" Sirius asked, who had just turned up in the mirror.

"SIRIUS!!" Hermione screamed.

"Pretty please?"

"You're interrupting my date with Viktor!" she hissed at him.

"Oooooh, Hermione's in loooove, Hermione's in loooove!" he chanted.

"Shut up, or I'll smash the mirror and throw it off a cliff. There are plenty in Bulgaria!"

"Oh yeah? Well, while you're enjoying a romantic candlelit dinner..."

"It's not very romantic since you keep interrupting!"

"...I'm stuck in a desert-WITH NO CHICKEN!!! Anyway, what's for dessert?" Hermione banged her head on the table, but Krum took the mirror and looked at it with interest.

"So you vould be Mr. Black, right?" he asked.

"Yes, that's me. Can you please get me out of this desert?!"

"Can you apparate?"

"No, I can't. Don't you think I would have done that by now?"

"I am sorry, Mr. Black. Vot did this Portkey do?"

"It got rid of some of my magic and took a month to work."

"Vell, I think I know how to get you back. I vill think about it tonight and we can probably haff you here by tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow???? That long?"

"Sirius!" Hermione cried, exasperated, "please shut up!"

"No!! Can't you do something now?!"

"Sirius, in case you haven't noticed, Viktor and I are ON A DATE!!"

"Yes, I am sorry, Mr. Black, but I really vould like to be alone vith Herm-own-ninny."

"I won't let you do that until you get me out of here! Wait, Herm-own-ninny?? Anyway, I command you to get me out of this desert!"

"Oh really?" Viktor replied as he made to smash the mirror.

"No!!! Don't do tha..." Sirius tried to yell as Viktor slammed the mirror on the table.

"I'm really sorry about that, Viktor, he's usually not that rude."

"It is okay Herm-own-ninny. I can repair the mirror later." And he took her arm as they wandered through the greenhouse and grounds, sometimes resting their heads on each other's shoulder.

Review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There's a little button down in the lower left hand corner. Push it!!


	7. Out of the Desert and Into a Birthday Pr...

Oops. Sorry about that title people. Thanks very much to "a Sirius Fan" for pointing that little tidbit out. Anyway... Here's chapter 7. We rather like this chapter (at least Emm does). Oh! And we must introduce you to our cousins!!!!!!!!!!! (And KCB's sister, who happens to be a cousin of Emms). Hi! I'm on the internet! YAY! (KCB-sorry, that was my sister. she's hyper today Emm-she's always hyper!!!!!!!) (This is now Katna, who is technically not our cousin but she's close enough) Hi, I am a big fan and i love this Chapter! (Emm-you've never even read this chapter!!!!) Oh well. Here's the chapter!

Oh. Wait. Disclaimer-We do not own these characters. We are simply brushing up on our forceful dictatorship by controlling their every move.

Chapter 7

Out of the Desert and into a Birthday Present

Hermione awoke that morning with a sense of peace, and was lying in bed, daydreaming, when Krum knocked on her door. She quickly put on her robe and opened the door to let him in.

"What's up?" she asked.

"Vell, it's just that, I can get your friend back, but, isn't he a convicted mass murderer?"

"That's what everyone thinks, but he was framed. Do you know about Peter Pettigrew?" Krum nodded. "Well, he's actually not dead. He was a Death Eater, and he shot a curse behind his back, turned into his Animagus form, a rat, and went down into the sewers."

"But the Ministry found his finger."

"He cut it off before changing. That left Sirius in a street full of dead Muggles with his wand out."

"So, he vent to Azkaban for a crime he didn't commit?"

"Yep. Then, when he got out, he found Peter, who was in a position to deliver Harry to You-know-who, because Sirius and one of his friends were the only ones who knew Pettigrew was an Animagus; he never registered. He wasn't able to catch Wormtail..." Krum her gave a look of confusion. "Oh, sorry, Peter, but he did convince me, Harry, Ron, and our friend Remus Lupin that he was innocent."

"I'm sorry for doubting you, Herm-own-ninny."

"That's okay, anybody would have. But, how are you going to get him back?"

"I vill apparate to him vith a Portkey."

"Won't you get in trouble for making a Portkey without permission?"

"In Bulgaria, as long as you are out of school, you don't need permission to make a Portkey. But, if you don't mind, I'd like to eat breakfast vith you first."

"That's fine Viktor, just let me get ready."

After breakfast in the greenhouse, which consisted of pancakes, eggs, muffins, sausage, and orange juice, Krum repaired the mirror, which was still in pieces on the table and floor, so Hermione could tell Sirius that help was on the way.

"Sirius! Viktor's about to apparate over to you!" she told him.

"Thank goodness," he replied. He looked terrible, noticed Hermione. He was breathing heavily and looked like he was about to collapse right then and there.

"Are you okay?" asked Hermione. "You look awful!"

"Well, that would be expected," he panted. "I've been sitting in the desert for 4 days, I haven't had a decent meal since June, and the sun keeps shining in my eyes!"

"Don't worry, Viktor's going to apparate soon, you'll be out of that desert in just a few minutes," she assured him.

"Yeah, but how is he going to get me back? I still can't apparate, and I doubt I could manage it even if it was possible."

"He's bringing a Portkey; it'll bring you back over here. I've sent an owl to Remus, so he'll be waiting for you when we get back to Grimmauld Place. We didn't think it would be too good for you to suddenly come out of the fireplace. And Dumbledore will be waiting for you too. They'll make sure there's no one else in the room when we come. He's leaving now, could you shoot a few sparks into the air so he knows where you are?"

"I can try." He pulled out his wand, but only managed a couple of little flickers.

"Oh Sirius, I'm so sorry, I was so tied up with Viktor last night that I didn't even notice how weak you were."

"It's alright Hermione, as long as he gets here before I die of thirst, everything'll be okay." Hermione gave a weak smile. "So, how was that date last night besides my rude little interruption?"

"Oh it was great, we walked through the yard holding hands and talking about things..."

"Hermione? Yoohoo, earth to Hermione!" She shook herself out of another trance.

"Sorry Sirius, I'm just thinking about something."

"Krum!"

"Yeah, that's it."

"No, I mean I can see him. Bye Hermione."

"Why do we have to stop talking?"

"The mirrors go crazy when they're both activated too close to each other." He told her as his face faded from the mirror once again. However, he didn't need to stop the conversation so soon because of the mirrors, he was actually focusing all of his remaining energy on staying conscious. But he didn't want Hermione worrying more about him; he was already ruining her romantic stay with Krum. And speaking of Krum, he was now practically running full out towards Sirius.

"Mr. Black!" he panted as he handed Sirius a vial of some liquid. "Here, drink this. It vill help you regain your energy." Sirius took it, but it seemed to have just the opposite effect, or maybe it was just the fact that he was so tired, but Sirius instantly collapsed onto the sand. "Hmm, that is odd. Oh vell, he can recover back home." He took the unconscious Sirius by the arm and grabbed the Portkey out of his pocket, and they were swept back to Bulgaria.

"Oh, Sirius!!" Hermione screamed as she saw Viktor magic Sirius onto a stretcher.

"Don't vorry Herm-own-ninny, he is just weak. Give him a few hours to regain his strength and energy." However, it took more than just a few hours. Hermione was having a great time with Krum, but he could see how worried she was. After having another dinner (this time in the dining room with Krum's family, who were very nice) Viktor put a chair in Sirius's room so Hermione could stay with him. He finally woke up around 2 in the morning, to find he was in a strange room in a house he didn't know and that Hermione was half in a chair, half on the bed. It took him a few minutes to remember what had happened, but then it came back. He looked at the clock and realized that Krum had gotten him out of the desert about 15 hours ago. Fifteen hours?? He had been asleep for fifteen hours?! He looked at Hermione-she must be worried sick about him. He thought about waking her up, but changed his mind and let her sleep as he slipped off to find the kitchens-he was starving!

He came back with three chicken sandwiches, a piece of fudge, and a glass of juice, all hovering by his side, and went outside to eat them in the COOL air. Not hot, not freezing. He felt much better after his early morning snack when he saw Hermione running through the house with the mirror, shouting his name into it. He walked into the house, took out the mirror, and tiptoed behind Hermione, who had stopped and was currently shouting his name at the top of her lungs to the mirror, and said,

"Hello." His face appeared in Hermione's mirror and she looked thoroughly relieved.

"Sirius, where are you?!"

"Right behind you." She turned around, screamed, and dropped the mirror once again. "You have some issues holding onto that thing, don't you?"

"Oh Sirius!" she cried as she hugged him. "You're okay!!" Sirius staggered a little, surprised at Hermione's reaction.

"Of course I am! After all, I'm the great Padfoot aren't I?" Hermione let go of him and started scolding him about leaving without waking her up. "I figured since it's only two in the morning I should let you sleep!"

"Yeah, and you scared me half to death! I thought some Death Eater had captured you or something!"

"You worry too much! No Death Eater can capture Sirius Black!"

"They did a pretty good job of sending you to the Sahara!"

"Ah, but they didn't capture me, now did they?"

"Whatever. I'm going back to bed, and you ought to do the same."

"Why? I've been asleep for fifteen hours!"

"Yeah, but yesterday you were collapsing in the desert!"

"I had something to eat, I'm perfectly fine now!" he yawned. Hermione raised her eyebrows skeptically. "Okay, fine, I'll go back to bed. Are you happy now?"

"Yep." Sirius rolled his eyes, but fell asleep almost instantly.

Back at Grimmauld Place, Remus was being awoken by an owl he didn't recognize. He did, however, see Hermione's handwriting and figured it was one of Krum's owls. He opened it up and, as the owl flew back out the window, almost fell back onto the bed in shock.

_Dear Professor Lupin,_

I know this will come as a shock to you, but Sirius isn't dead after all. I accidentally contacted him with a two-way mirror. He's in the Sahara right now; Viktor is going to apparate over there and get him back. Somebody switched veils, I think it was the Death Eaters. I don't know what purpose that had, but anyway, once I come back to Grimmauld Place I need your help, along with Dumbledore. I just need you to confirm that it is really him and not an imposter, and then he'll be my birthday present to Harry, so don't tell anyone else. We'll be coming around 1:00 on the 30th, so make sure that no one else is by the fireplace then.

_Love,_

_Hermione_

Remus didn't have time to gape at the letter, because Dumbledore had just arrived, probably with a letter much like his own, and Mrs. Weasley was calling him downstairs to get some breakfast. Remus put Hermione's letter in his dresser and walked down the stairs.

At Krum Manor, now that everyone was awake (Hermione was very surprised that she hadn't woken anyone by shouting for Sirius at the top of her lungs), they were having another good breakfast, and Sirius and Viktor were getting along just fine. Hermione was almost packed when Krum showed up at the door, wanting to take a walk with her. Sirius finished packing her suitcase (he had to use magic to get everything to fit).

"How much stuff did she take?? She was here for less than three days!" And finally, to Hermione and Krum's disappointment, it was time to go. Hermione decided that she would go first, just in case anyone was there that shouldn't be. She said goodbye to Krum, they shared a kiss, and then she was back at Grimmauld Place, happy to find that only Remus was in the room.

"Sirius," she told him through the mirror, "you can come now."

"Well, I guess I owe you some gratitude and an apology for basically ruining your time with Hermione."

"Don't vorry about it, I vas happy to help. Goodbye, Mr. Black." And with that Sirius disappeared into the flames. Remus was there to help him with Hermione's trunk, and to see whether he really was Sirius. He levitated Hermione's trunk so she could take it to her room (he didn't want anyone else to see Sirius). Sirius and Remus stood looking at each other for a few seconds before going upstairs where Dumbledore was waiting for them. But Remus was already sure that this really was Sirius.

"Hello Remus. Are you ready?" Remus nodded at the Headmaster. "Sirius, I am going to give you Veritaserum, and then we'll ask you some questions, Okay?" Sirius was going to say "yes", but didn't have the chance to, as at that point Dumbledore put three drops of the clear liquid into his mouth. He instantly felt a strange sensation, like having no control over himself. "Can you hear me?" he heard Dumbledore ask, and felt and heard himself say,

"Yes."

"Are you Sirius Black?"

"Yes, I am."

"What happened the night you went to the Ministry and fell through the veil?"

"The veils were switched by someone. The veil that I fell through acted somewhat like a Portkey, only it took a month to work and I didn't take the veil with me. It transported me to the Sahara. Then Hermione was able to contact me with a two-way mirror, and Viktor Krum took me back to Bulgaria."

"Why didn't you just apparate?"

"I couldn't."

"Why?"

"I don't know, Hermione thinks it was another thing the veil did to me."

"So how did Krum get you back?"

"He used a Portkey and gave me some potion that helped me regain my energy."

"Okay Remus, your turn." Dumbledore stepped aside and let Remus question Sirius.

"What is your nickname?"

"Padfoot."

"Why Padfoot?"

"My Animagus form is a dog."

"What happened when James and Lily died?"

"I went after Wormtail, but then the little git used his wand behind his back and blew up the street, killing twelve Muggles. I got blamed for it."

"What do you think of your parents?"

"They were a bunch a evil dark wizards who delighted in torturing me and making fun of Muggles."

"Who is your worst enemy?"

"Snivellus, that slimy haired loser who calls himself a wizard."

"What is my nickname?"

"Moony."

"Why?"

"Because you're a werewolf!" Sirius screamed.

"Shut up, I don't want the whole world to know! What was James's nickname?"

"Prongs."

"Okay Dumbledore, it's really him." Dumbledore got Sirius out of his trance, and, to all of their surprises, Remus hugged him and started crying uncontrollably onto his friend's shoulder. At this point Hermione came into the room with some sandwiches, and Sirius and Remus quickly broke apart. In addition to the sandwiches, Hermione also had a box with her.

"What's that for?" Sirius asked hesitantly. Hermione gave him a mischievous smile and asked Remus to enlarge the box to fit Sirius. "What?! After all I've been through, you're going to stuff me in a box?!"

"Don't worry, we won't put you in it until right before Harry opens his presents," Hermione told him. Sirius looked at her with an expression of disbelief, anger, and fear. "And we'll put holes in it so you can breathe." Sirius put his head into his hands and shook his head slowly.

"Come on Padfoot, it'll be fun!"

"Moony, you're siding with her too?"

"Don't worry, we'll get Harry to open his presents quickly tomorrow."

"I still think you're crazy. You're all crazy."

"What color should we wrap it?" asked Hermione.

"How about black!" Remus replied. Hermione and Sirius stared at him.

"Not funny."

"You're not wrapping it any color, because I'm not getting in that box!"

"C'mon Padfoot, it's for Harry!"

"Can't I just walk into the room or something?"

"Sirius, you can't be my birthday present if you're not wrapped!"

"I'll think about it."

This is the longest chapter in this whole story so far. Hope you liked it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Read Review


	8. The Birthday Party

Wow! Three reviews in one day!! You have made the authors (or at least the one that's typing at the moment) very happy. Maybe the title change had something to do with it...Anyway since you reviewed, you shall be rewarded. And for the record, there are currently 27 and a half chapters, but uploading all of them would be weird, take too long, and then you'd be waiting for a very long time for chapter 28. So...Disclaimer! J.K. Rowling owns these characters. If there is some freak accident that twists the laws of nature and physics and we suddenly become J.K. Rowling, we'll let you know.

Chapter 8

The Birthday Party

Sirius stayed in Remus's room for rest of the day, the night, and morning, and then, after having his breakfast delivered, Hermione and Moony came in to get Sirius ready for the birthday party.

"Sirius!" yelled Hermione. "Get in the box!"

"No, I refuse to be stuffed into a box!"

"Well, than Padfoot old friend, you leave us no choice." Thick cords came out of Remus's wand, and bound Sirius. He turned into a dog and bit through the ones over his mouth.

"Let me go!" But Hermione and Lupin paid no attention as they took his wand and picked out some wrapping paper. Sirius took this opportunity to get a quill in his mouth and try to write, "Hermione and Moony I'll kill you" on the side of the box. However, it looked more like "Her mint and honey is ill go."

After much complaining and fighting, they managed to keep him in the box, using the wonderful muggle invention of duct tape. They cut a couple of holes into the side ("You almost chopped my head off!") and wrapped it in a pretty pink color, complete with a bow that flashed many different girly colors. They also made sure he couldn't get at his wand by putting that in a separate box and wrapping it, too.

"Hermione!!!! Remus!!!! I swear you will pay when I get out of here!! You have awakened the wrath of the mighty Padfoot!"

"You mean your wrath was asleep before??"

"Sirius, be quiet!!" Remus hushed him.

"Make me!"

"Okay." Hermione took out her wand and cried, "_Silencio_!" Sirius couldn't talk, but Remus thought he recognized a couple of swear words while reading Sirius's lips. He opened and closed his mouth angrily at the pair of them as they levitated the box downstairs and put it with Harry's other presents, making sure to point the holes towards the wall.

"Okay Harry, you have a present from Ron, one from Dumbledore, two from Hermione, one from Remus, one from Hagrid, and one from the twins," Mrs. Weasley groaned at the thought of Fred and George's present.

"So pick something up and have at it!" Ron cried. He had gotten a box full of Honeyduke's chocolate from Ron, his Firebolt and a note saying his ban from Quidditch was removed from Dumbledore, a book titled, "How to Become an Animagus and Other Complex Spells" from Lupin, a 20 Galleon Gift Piece-of-Parchment from the twins for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, and another photo-album from Hagrid, full of pictures of Sirius. Harry then looked at Hermione's presents, one, which was small and thin, and a huge one that looked like there was something alive in it, because it had just fallen over after receiving many beatings from the contents. He decided to play it safe and open up the small one first, and pulled out-a wand.

"Umm, Hermione? I hate to break it to you, but I've already got a wand."

"This isn't just a wand, Harry, it's Sirius's wand."

"Why did you give me Sirius's wand?"

"Well, I just thought you should have it." The giant box gave another shudder.

"Hermione?" Ron asked tentatively. "What's in that big box?"

"Harry will just have to unwrap it and see, now won't he?" Harry cautiously approached the box and pulled away the pink wrapping paper.

"Hermione, why does this box say 'Her mint and honey is ill go'?"

"Oh! Sorry about that. Don't worry about it."

"Hermione, what is this?!" Ron cried as Harry viciously pulled off the duct tape.

"A dragon!" Remus cried.

"Are you serious?!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed.

"No, but he is," Hermione and Remus replied as Harry finally got the box open.

"SIRIUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" he shouted. Sirius mouthed back at him and Harry undid the ropes. "What did you do?" he asked Hermione.

"She used a silencing charm. _Finite Incantatum_!" Remus replied.

"Harry!" Sirius yelled now that he could talk again. Harry threw his arms around his godfather and they stood hugging for a few moments.

"But, how?" Harry asked weakly.

"Ask Hermione. And speaking of Hermione...I'm gonna feed you to Buckbeak, you little wretch!" He picked up his wand and proceeded to chase Hermione through the house.

"Remus? What's going on?" Harry asked.

"Well, it's a long story, but I think we have time. Let's see, as I remember it, Hermione accidentally contacted Sirius with the two-way mirror."

"Yes I did," she cried as she raced back, Sirius still right on her heels.

"The veil was actually a strange kind of Portkey that sent him to the Sahara," continued Lupin. "Krum was able to get to him and bring him back to Bulgaria, because Sirius couldn't apparate. Then he sat in Bulgaria for a while, he came back here with Hermione, which is why I talked you two into going back to the Burrow for some Quidditch, Professor Dumbeldore and I questioned him to make sure he was the real deal, and..."

"And then they stuffed me into a box!" Sirius yelled as he ran past again, dove, and finally caught Hermione. "Ha!" He stood up, flung Hermione over his shoulder, and started going up the stairs, with Hermione trying desperately to free herself. "Oh Buckbeak!! Look what I've got!!"

"Should we go do something about him?" Ron asked hesitantly.

"No," Remus replied. "He may be extremely mad at Hermione right now, but now matter how hard he tries to convince Buckbeak that she's a chicken bone, it won't work." Sure enough, Sirius came back after a few minutes, but looked rather pleased with himself. "Padfoot, where's Hermione?" Sirius grinned evilly.

"She's upstairs in a nice little box," he responded. "Now, if you don't mind, I believe Harry and I have some catching up to do."

"You'll let her out, right Padfoot?"

"Eventually Moony. Eventually." He and Harry walked upstairs and found a room to talk in. "So Harry, no one's told me yet: what else happened at the Ministry?"

"Well, Voldemort came, and he and Dumbledore fought, and then Fudge finally realized that Voldemort really was alive, and that was pretty much it."

"But, what was that thing the Death Eaters all wanted in the first place?"

"It was a prophecy, it told how to defeat Voldemort."

"Really?? That's great!"

"No, it's not." Sirius cocked his head like the dog he could become. "The Prophecy says that I either have to kill Voldemort, or he has to kill me." Sirius couldn't think of anything to say to this, and attempted to change the subject.

"Did you get your O.W.L. results yet?"

"Oh, please don't remind me of those," Harry groaned. "I'm willing to bet I got the lowest grade possible in Potions. Snape hates me, he really does." Sirius laughed.

"That reminds me, Remus wants to be your Occlumency teacher this year. He's not as good as Snape, but still better than most."

"That's a relief, maybe I can actually make progress now, and hopefully not get anyone killed!"

"Harry, that wasn't your fault!! If I had had a dream that you were at the hands of Voldemort, I probably would have done something as stupid as running over there too!" Harry glared at his godfather, who continued. "Besides, you didn't kill me, you just sent me to the desert! And it's my fault that I let my guard down and allow that evil cousin of mine who calls herself a human being to hit me."

"Yeah, but if Hermione hadn't of used that mirror, I would have just let you sit in the Sahara and die of thirst or hunger or something!"

"Why did you never use the mirror anyway?"

"It just kind of slipped my mind, and then I tried to use it after that little experience at the Ministry, and it didn't work."

"Ah, that would be because that Portkey to a month to work. I was probably sitting in limbo when you tried to reach me, which is actually a fun little place, although they have no chicken."

"Hmm, that makes more sense. But why did Hermione and Remus tie you up and put a silencing charm on you?"

"I was being bad and wouldn't get in the box. And for the record, it is very hard to write with your mouth."

"Her mint and honey is ill go?" Harry smirked.

"That was supposed to say 'Hermione and Moony I'll kill you', but it didn't quite work out. Now, if you don't mind, I'm still hungry. Sitting in a desert for four days works up an appetite. Want some birthday cake?" Harry smiled and he and Sirius walked downstairs to rejoin the party, Hermione included, who had been let out of her box by Lupin. They found everyone laughing hysterically-apparently Hermione had fallen down the stairs, still in her box, with a leg and her head sticking out. She refused to look at Sirius, and when she did, it was only to chase him around the room with a shrinking spell.

Hehee, can you not picture that? Anywho review please! It makes us oh so happy!


	9. The Attack

**I don't really like this chapter too much, how about you?? **(crickets chirping) **Oops. Forgot KCB's not here. Oh well. Hope you like this chapter. I'll update next when i have 15 reviews, and i'll also start putting the little thank you notes down on the bottom. Enjoy! (i hope)**

Chapter 9

The Attack

The rest of the day was one of the most enjoyable days Harry had ever had; he stayed close to Ron, Hermione, and Sirius, but made sure to keep some space between the latter two. They had another excellent dinner prepared by Mrs. Weasley ("Chicken!!"), and were staying up late, drinking butterbeer and talking about pleasant random things that had nothing to do with Death Eaters and Lord Voldemort. Mrs. Weasley finally sent the three of them to bed when Hermione drifted off to sleep and fell off her chair.

"Hermione, thanks. How did you get Sirius out of the desert anyway?"

"Viktor used a Portkey," she mumbled sleepily as Ron half carried her to her room. It seemed like Harry had only just closed his eyes when someone was shaking him awake. He groaned and sleepily opened his eyes.

"Sirius, do you have any idea what time it is?" he murmured groggily and tried to hide back underneath the covers.

"Yes, I do know what time it is-it's time to get out of here!" he whispered frantically.

"Why, what's the rush?"

"Yeah," Ron had just been woken up by his mother. "It's two in the morning."

"C'mon," Mrs. Weasley grunted as she tried to pull Ron out of bed. Neither of the adults were having much luck, so Sirius finally gave up on trying to actually wake Harry, carried him out of bed and threw him into the air, while dumping cold water from his wand onto Ron's head. Ron gave a terrified gasp as Harry screamed and fell back onto Sirius.

"Good, you're both awake. Now get your wand and anything you don't want to be blown up and come downstairs."

"What? You just dumped a gallon of water on my head, and now you want me to run downstairs in my pajamas with my wand? I'm so confused." But Ron's confusion was quickly removed as a group of Death Eaters suddenly stormed into the room and started shouting curses at the four of them. Sirius immediately threw curses back at them, and took out at least one. However, Mrs. Weasley wasn't having much luck and fell, gasping, onto Ron's bed. By this time Harry had found his wand and was shooting more curses at the slowly diminishing group of people, hoping that he wouldn't be expelled. Ron got out his wand to, and stunned one of them.

There were only three left now, and Sirius and Ron charged them. This, however, was a bad idea. One of them shot a spell Harry didn't recognize. Both Sirius and Ron jumped out of the way, but the spell hit Harry, who wasn't ready; it threw him backwards into a dresser, which promptly fell on top of him.

"Harry!" he heard Sirius cry as he drifted into unconsciousness. Hermione, who had come out of her room, threw a few spells at the Death Eaters from behind, and she, Ron, and Sirius were able to subdue them.

"Are there any downstairs?" she asked. Mrs. Weasley, still slightly panting, shook her head. "Is Harry okay?" Sirius rushed over to him and lifted the remains of the dresser off his head.

"I think he's alright, he was just knocked out." Sirius lifted Harry into his arms and carried him downstairs. It was a horrible sight-Tonks was attempting to heal on large gash on Lupin's arm, Mr. Weasley was sporting a black eye, furniture was broken and strewn everywhere, and, to Sirius's disappointment, the chicken from the night before was scattered along the stairs. Buckbeak was crying upstairs, as only a hippogriff can cry; apparently one of the Death Eaters had hurt his wing.

"What happened to him?" Lupin, whose arm was now healed, asked as he hurried over to Harry and Sirius.

"He's just knocked out, he crashed headlong into a dresser." At this point, Albus Dumbledore came out of the slightly broken fireplace, eyes wide at the sight before him.

"What happened here?!"

"Oh, the usual. Death Eaters trying to kill the Order and capture Harry, same old same old." Sirius remarked, but shut up after a glare from the Headmaster. "Sorry."

"Voldemort will no doubt send more Death Eaters now that he knows where we are," Dumbledore muttered sadly. "We will have to move the Order. Where, I don't know, but I think we should go to Hogwarts for the time being." The rest of the Order nodded their agreement, took anything they wanted with them, and flooed over to the school.

Harry was lying somewhere, he couldn't figure out where. Every muscle and bone in his body ached, and he couldn't will his eyes to open. He finally managed it, and looked at his surroundings. He was on a white bed; Sirius, Ron, Hermione, and Tonks were sitting around him, fast asleep. He still couldn't figure out where he was, or why he was there, or what had happened before that. He tried to sit up and find his glasses, but he was too weak and fell back onto the bed. Sirius awoke at this sound, and looked thoroughly relieved to see Harry awake.

"What happened," Harry mumbled as he tried to get up again.

"Harry, lay back down, I'll explain," Sirius assured him as he gently pushed Harry back into bed. "The Death Eaters came into Headquarters, and you were knocked out. We came over here and now we're looking for a new headquarters."

"Where is here?"

"You're in the hospital wing at Hogwarts, you've been asleep for four days."

"What? What about you? How come you're not a dog?"

"Harry, it's summer. None of the teachers are here yet, and Dumbledore thinks they'd be okay with me anyway."

"Harry Potter, sir, you is awake!"

"Dobby?!"

"He insisted on staying here with you. He's a nice change from Kreacher at least. Actually friendly and willing to serve."

"Would Harry Potter like something to eat, sir? Or you, Mr. Black?"

"Do you have any chicken?"

"Yes sir, Dobby will go down and get it."

"Harry? Want something to eat?"

"No, not now."

"Then Dobby will get Mr. Black's chicken. Dobby will be right back, sirs." And he ran off to the kitchens. Harry looked over at Hermione, Ron, and Tonks.

"Should we get them up?"

"No, we've been worried sick about you, they haven't slept this long for a while. I'll wake them up later." Harry nodded and Sirius handed him a goblet of something. "Here, drink this, it's supposed to help you regain your energy, though it seems to have the opposite effects." Harry took it, and instantly fell back to sleep. "See, it happened again! Oh well." He left the hospital wing when Dobby brought up his chicken and went to talk to Dumbledore.

"Something bothering you, Sirius?"

"Yes, actually, there is. We knew the Death Eaters were looking for Headquarters, but how did they find it so fast, with all of the enchantments and wards?" he asked, still eating his chicken.

"Yes, I've wondered the same thing. Though I hate to admit it, I believe we have a Death Eater in the Order, just like we have a spy in the Death Eaters, though I have no idea who." He sighed. "It seems you cannot trust anyone any more. Is there anything else you would like to say?"

"Yes, Harry woke up a few minutes ago, but he's asleep again."

"How was he?"

"He seemed fine, just a little confused a first, and really weak."

"That's understandable. Did you give him the potion?"

"Yes, but all it did was make him fall asleep again."

"Ah, see, it does help. He fell asleep instead of becoming unconscious. Well, if that's all, I'd like to get to sleep myself."

"There is one more thing. I'd like to be close to Harry; is there some way I can stay here?"

"Well, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher does love dogs, we could tell her that you're a stray and need a good home."

"That'll work. Thank you, Professor."

"No problem. I'm sure Harry will enjoy your company." And with that, Sirius left and headed back to the hospital wing. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Tonks were still asleep. Sirius transformed into the great black dog and curled up at the end of Harry's bed.

**Yeah, still don't like that chapter too much. Oh well. review and i'll update faster! The next chapter is simply hilarious!**


	10. The Order at Hogwarts

**Yeah, I know it wasn't going to be updated until we got 15 reviews, but i felt like updating, so I did. You won't be so lucky with chapter 11 though, muahahaha! Let's see how you like this cliffhanger! Then maybe you will review! And speaking of reviews...**

**A Sirius Fan-Thank you once again (KCB SHUT IT!!!!) for that one. And you'll get to see lots more of Sirius and Remus in upcoming chapters (still no slash! I write no slash! Get your minds out of the gutter!)**

**The Best witch of all-Thanx! You make us feel so warm and fuzzy inside!**

**KCB-you don't count, you're an author. This IS the fear the mighty muffin chapter (don't ask, you'll see in a minute). And you could have said that stuff in an email, and this is what i meant by thank yous. Sheesh woman.**

**Padfoot's Sidekick-I hope all these updates are keeping your wrath at bay! You also make us feel warm and fuzzy! Virtual Chocolate chips for you, o reviewer of three times!!!**

**Finwitch1-hmm, that would be a very interesting scene. We never even thought of that (or at least i didn't no clue about KCB). Maybe we can put something like that in later... **

**Anyway here's chapter 10. Might I say that I had lots of fun with this chapter? I might indeed. Oh! Disclaimer!!**

We do not own these characters. We are not J.K. Rowling. If we ever win the copyright for Harry Potter off of Rowling in a card-game, then we'll own it. But for now, we don't. Onto The Order at Hogwarts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Chapter 10

The Order at Hogwarts

Harry awoke the next morning, feeling surprisingly refreshed and alert, though rather hungry. He looked over to see that Hermione and Ron were still asleep, but Tonks was nowhere to be seen and Sirius was sitting on the end of his bed, eating breakfast.

"Harry! Good to see you awake, again."

"Would Harry Potter like some breakfast, sir? A muffin or an omelet or..."

"Anything's fine, Dobby, just something, I'm starving." Dobby bowed and hurried out of the hospital wing.

"Now this seems familiar, doesn't it?" Harry gave him a confused look. "That's just about my reaction to that potion. Sleep for a while and then go eat something. You really should try these muffins, by the way, they're delicious. Although not chicken flavored."

"What is it with you and chicken??"

"I just like it." Harry gave him a skeptical look. "Ok, so it's the love of my life. So what?" Harry only shook his head. At this point Dobby came into the room with what looked like half of the kitchen's food.

"Dobby! I said I wanted breakfast, not every meal I'll eat from now until I'm thirty!"

"Dobby knows, sir, but Dobby is thinking that you is very hungry, sir."

"Yeah, I am, but not that hungry!"

"What's for dinner?" muttered Ron, who had woken up to the smell of food. "Harry! You're awake! And...what's with all the food?"

"Ask Dobby. Would you like a muffin?"

"They're chickenlicious!"

"Ummmm, hey, why not!" Ron grabbed a couple of muffins and threw one to Harry, which hit him in the head.

"Hey!" Harry tried to throw the muffin back at Ron, but Ron knocked it back and it hit Sirius.

"Excuse me!" Sirius grabbed the plate of muffins from Dobby and started chucking them at Harry and Ron, who were throwing them back at him, just as quick. One muffin hit Hermione, who woke up and screamed, and threw it back at Sirius. There was a mad rush as muffins soon flew through the air in all directions, and Tonks, who had just entered the hospital wing, was bombarded by them and joined the fray. Their fun ended, however, when Dumbledore and Mrs. Weasley came into the room. While Dumbledore looked amused and like he wished to join in, Mrs. Weasley immediately told them off.

"Look at you all! You're covered in muffins, the floor's covered in muffins, this whole room is covered in muffins! And Harry needs his rest!"

"Actually Mrs. Weasley, I feel fine, really..."

"No you don't! You should get back into bed!"

"Molly, the boy's been in bad for almost 5 days!" Sirius protested. "Let him have some fun!"

"I think not! You should be ashamed of yourself Sirius! You're setting a bad example! And you, Ron! You know better than that!"

"What about Hermione?!"

"Ronald Bilius! Don't interrupt me when I'm talking!"

"Bilius?!" Sirius cried, trying not to fall onto the floor in laughter.

"It's my uncle's name, quit it mum!" Ron's ears were turning red.

"And what's your excuse, Nymphadora?"

"It's Tonks!!!!!!!!!!!"

"That's your excuse?"

"No, that's my name! Don't call me Nymphadora!"

"I'll call you whatever I want when I'm reprimanding you, NYMPHADORA!"

"Fine!" Tonks screamed, and used a cleaning spell to get rid of the muffins.

"You never let us have any fun," muttered Sirius.

"This is your idea of fun?!"

"Yeah, actually it is."

"Someone could have gotten hurt!"

"By a muffin?!" Ron asked incredulously.

"Yes Ron, haven't you heard? The muffin is the most lethal and dangerous of all weapons. Fear the mighty muffin!" Sirius joked.

"Sirius Black! Will you act your age for once?!"

"Where's the fun in that?!"

"I've had it!" And with that, Mrs. Weasley left the hospital wing, still fuming about muffins and Sirius. Dumbledore followed, still amused.

"Hermione-"

"Yes Ron?"

"I never asked you-how was your time with Krum?"

"Yeah Herm-own-ninny?" Sirius finally fell onto the floor, laughing at his own comment.

"Sirius! Just because he has an accent..."

"That's not an accent!" Sirius gasped between laughs.

"Sure it is!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!" Ron and Harry exchanged looks and left the hospital wing along with Tonks. They could still manage to make out Sirius and Hermione's argument.

"So, what happened while I was asleep?"

"Not much, really. They're trying to figure out where to put the Order now, I think they're choosing between expanding Lupin's house, going back to Grimmauld Place with more wards, or not having a headquarters at all and meeting someplace once a week." Harry's eyes widened in fear.

"I'd have to stay at Privet drive the whole summer?!"

"No, don't worry, you'd either stay with us or Sirius, maybe Lupin, depending on the day."

"Thank goodness, don't scare me like that!" Ron smiled.

"So, you think we'll ever hear about Hermione's time in Bulgaria?"

"I doubt it."

The entire Order had supper in the Great Hall that evening, which seemed huge compared to how many people were usually seated in it during school. Hermione and Sirius's argument had resulted in a black eye on Sirius's part and Hermione constantly singing Christmas songs. By the fifth time she was singing jingle bells, Harry finally got a reluctant Sirius to remove the curse.

"What's wrong with Christmas songs?" he asked.

"Nothing, but this happens to be AUGUST!!!!!!!!"

"Fine, make your godfather feel bad. He was only stuck in a desert for 4 days, stuffed into a box, and forced to duel Death Eaters!" Sirius turned away from Harry and pretended to cry. Harry, however, knew his godfather better, and quickly dissolved his bad mood with some chicken.

All in all, it was an enjoyable meal; Sirius and Hermione were still sore at each other, but Harry expected they would be at that for a while yet. They were just finishing dessert when he looked up at the ceiling and realized they'd made a terrible mistake.

**See, I had lots and lots of fun with that chapter. A word of advice for any author with writer's block-Get a friend or two and become the characters, write down what you say (otherwise you'll forget) It's fun and it works! (although some of the results are a little...interesting...)as seen in chapter 15. But you're not there yet! 15 reviews! C'mon, you can do it! Doesn't resolving the cliffie mean anything???**


	11. Mayhem in the Great Hall

**Yes, I can count. I only got 14 reviews, but it was close enough. And I was really going to update sooner than this but I had NO time this week. I had to write 4 essays! Stupid Modern American Literature. Anyway... I won't answer review questions, I'll do that at some later chapter, probably 12, which I'll try to get out on Sunday. No guarantees. So-Disclaimer! **

We don't own these characters and we're not J.K. Rowling. If we were J.K. Rowling, why would we waste out breath saying we weren't J.K. Rowling??? **So onto the great hall!**

Chapter 11

Mayhem in the Great Hall

"Professor Lupin!!!" Harry screamed.

"What about him?" Hermione asked. But Ron had already seen the problem-tonight was a full moon, and Moony was sitting right across from them.

"Oh no," Sirius groaned. The other Order members seemed to have noticed something was wrong, and Remus's eyes widened in horror.

"How could I forget?!" were his last words before he changed form, his body becoming rigid and everyone else frozen in place, not knowing what to do.

"We could stun him," Tonks suggested as they moved away from the quickly forming werewolf.

"Good idea. I can change form too, in case that doesn't work. But you three," Sirius turned his attention to Harry, Ron, and Hermione, "need to get out of here. Go!"

"But-l"

"Harry, he's right! Move!" Ron cried as he and Hermione dragged Harry to the doors. They could hear Sirius and Remus snarling at each other in the background.

"Hermione! The door's locked!!"

"Oh Ron, don't do that, you know that this door is never locked!" She tugged on the handle. "Oh, look, heh heh, the door's locked." Ron and Harry glared at her.

"Now what!?" they yelled.

"Umm, I don't know, let me think!" At that point, Tonks came skidding to a halt beside them and panted,

"Apparently, you cannot stun a werewolf! Why are you still standing here?!"

"The door's locked!" Harry answered.

"You can use magic in emergencies, didn't you realize that you never got a warning for fighting those Death Eaters? Now, move over. _Alohomora_!" The spell had no effect. "I said, _Alohomora_!!!!! _Alohomora_!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Um, Houston, we have a problem!"

"Can't we just sit here until morning?"

"Ron, what are you thinking?! How would you like to sit in a room with a werewolf for ten hours?!" Hermione screamed, starting to panic.

"She's right, Sirius is holding him off for now, but I doubt he can do it for much longer." Tonks seemed to be right; Harry glanced over in the direction of the fighting and saw a group of Order members surrounding Moony and Padfoot. He could see a large number of cuts and gashes in Sirius's fur, even at the distance of almost the entire Great Hall. His godfather seemed to be panting, on the verge of collapsing on the spot. Without realizing what he was doing, Harry ran over to them, ignoring the screams telling him to stop, coming from both his friends and his mind.

Sirius looked over to see what all the commotion was, a look of fear on his doggy face as he saw his godson sprinting toward him. Unfortunately, the werewolf also noticed him, and started to advance on Harry. Sirius lunged forward, but couldn't stop Remus, who was now running full strength at his new prey. Harry, still having no idea whatsoever as to what he was doing, shouted the first spell that came to his mind-the jelly legs jinx. Surprisingly, it seemed to work, and Moony stumbled and lie on the ground, snarling. The rest of the Order members, who seemed to have been petrified at the previous scene, shouted at the same time, "_Incarcerous!" _and used cords from their wands to bind him and stared at disbelief at Harry.

"What on earth were you thinking?!?!?!?!" Sirius, who had changed form, screamed at Harry. "You could have been killed!!!! He could have bitten you!!!" Sirius appeared to be at a loss for words, so Harry took over.

"I was just making up for almost letting you die in a desert," he replied.

"Well kid, do me a favor then: NEVER DO THAT AGAIN!!!!!"

"Ok Sirius. And you need to go up to the hospital wing!"

"Why?!"

"Look at yourself!" Sirius, for once, obeyed Harry, and noticed all of the cuts on his body.

"Well, I guess I kind of should do _something_ about these."

"There are just two problems," Tonks remarked.

"Okay, what."

"Number one, it wouldn't do you any good to go up to the hospital wing since Madam Pomfrey isn't there. Number two, we can't open the door."

"Oh, you weaklings, let me try it!"

"NO!" Harry and Tonks screamed, and Sirius started, looking back and forth at the pair of them.

"You're not going anywhere until we heal all of those cuts!"

"And how, pray tell, dearest godson of mine, are you going to do that?" Harry looked to Tonks for an answer.

"I can't heal him like this! I would need to disinfect them first!"

"Ummmmm, now what?"

"Don't look at me, I can't do anything until I'm healed."

"Sirius, you're not helping!" At that point Fawkes flew into the room and landed on Harry's shoulder. "Ha! See, Fawkes will heal you!"

"How do you know that phoenix?" Tonks asked.

"I met him in second year; he healed my Basilisk bite."

"You were bitten by a Basilisk?!" Sirius roared, scaring everyone in the hall.

"Yes, I was. And then I killed it with Godric Gryffindor's sword. But I can tell you about that later. Fawkes, can you heal Sirius?" The phoenix understood him and perched on Sirius's outstretched hand. Harry and Tonks were amazed to see how many scratches Padfoot had actually received from his fight with Moony. However, he was completely healed in a few minutes.

"Now can I go and open the door, mother and father?"

"Yes, Siri dear, but can you clean up your room first?"

"And cut the grass, it's getting dreadfully long," Harry added. Sirius glared at them and left without another word.

It took much more than just Sirius to open the door, however. It seemed to be sealed with some kind of dark enchantment, and none of the Order could get it open. Sirius finally resolved to show them a secret passageway out of the Hall that he had learned of during school, although he was very reluctant to show anyone, except for Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who, with the Marauder's Map, knew about the passage anyway. Dumbledore held a meeting in his office afterwards, once again excluding the students. However, Sirius filled them in on it later anyway.

"I'm afraid my suspicions were correct; we have a spy in our midst."

"What makes you say that?" Mrs. Weasley asked, apparently scared to death at the thought of it.

"It took powerful dark magic to keep that door closed-it held up not only against our own spells, but it also broke through the wards placed on the entire school." Dumbledore sighed. "I don't know what to do." he admitted dejectedly.

"Well, can't we just move the Order?" Mr. Weasley suggested.

"That would make sense, but if we moved, then our spy would only tell Voldemort where we had moved."

"What about making everyone drink Veritaserum?" Dumbledore looked as if he would strike that down too, but changed his mind.

"You know Sirius, that's not a bad idea. In fact, it's a rather good idea."

"Well, what do you expect, coming from me?" The rest of the Order glared at him.

"Severus!"

"Yes Headmaster?"

"Please bring me as much Veritaserum as you can carry." Snape nodded and hurried out of the room. "Now, I must insist that the rest of you give me your wands so that you cannot tamper with the potion. It's not that I don't trust you, well, okay; I don't trust one of you. I don't know whom yet, but it's one of you."

"What about Sniv-I mean Severus? He could mess with the potions!"

"Yes, that is possible, but highly unlikely. Might I remind you that I trust him?"

"Of course, Dumbledore." Snape came down the stairs a few minutes later with a box of vials. Going through all the Order members in the room, Dumbledore asked them a series of questions, trying to catch them off guard. The end result surprised everyone in the room.

"Are you a Death Eater?" Dumbledore asked Sturgis Podmore.

"Yes, I am." All of the other members stared in disbelief at the response.

"D-do you serve Lord Voldemort?"

"Yes, I do. I always have and I always will."

"Well, well then, I guess we know who our Death Eater is."

**How was that chapter? Think you huys can give me 15 reviews this time? Only one of you has to review! You can do it!!**


	12. OWL Results

**Sorry! Sorry sorry sorry really sorry. You would not believe how much homework I had! Anyway, review responses.**

**KCB-once again, you're an author and don't count. And I managed to sleep until 2 because i was SICK!!!!!!!!! VERY!!!!!!!!!!**

**A Sirius Fan-Please excuse that and any further blonde moments. I was tired the last time i was answering reviews. And Sirius already has his girl lined up for him. Not sure when she's makeing her appearance, but it'll be soon.**

**A.J. of Gryffindor-Why thank you!**

**Padfoot's Sidekick-Pernicious Penguins???? Oke dokee. And we tend to think Harry is stupid, so we portray him as stupid, and it seemed like something he would do. As for Podmore, someone in the Order had to be a Death Eater and he seemed like the most likely candidate.**

**Anyway, **

**Read our lips. J.K. Rowling owns these characters!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Onto chapter 12!**

Chapter 12

O.W.L. Results

"Sturgis Podmore?!" Sirius exclaimed as he told Ron, Harry, and Hermione what had happened during the meeting. "There are a few people I would have thought possible of being Death Eaters, mainly Snivellus, but Sturgis? Something's not right here!"

"But Sirius," Hermione argued, "the truth potion is never wrong! You just have to accept it! Besides, he was in Azkaban for awhile, remember? What if he was never under the Imperius Curse?"

"You know Hermione, that's normally the way I would take this. But I just know Snape fixed those potions! Dumbledore may trust him but I sure don't!"

"Probably about as much as I trust you, Black," Snape remarked silkily. Sirius turned around in horror to come face-to-face with his old enemy. "It thoroughly surprised me to find that you weren't a spy. Then again, you never truly had the courage needed for that kind of work..."

"You take that back, you slimy-haired freak!" Sirius yelled as he lunged at Snape. The pair of them got into a duel, leaving Harry, Ron, and Hermione to duck the occasional missed spell and avoid a number of cruel fates, including pink hair, turning into a teapot, and the subtraction of a few limbs. This went on for fifteen minutes, until both Sirius and Severus were lying on the ground with a number of magical injuries. Unfortunately, this was also the time that a few of the Hogwarts teachers, Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, and Hagrid, who had decided to come to Hogwarts to get their classes ready, came upon them in the hallway.

Flitwick, apparently not aware that Sirius was innocent, fainted on the spot. Hagrid, who had no idea how Sirius had come back from the dead, went into hysteria, and, thinking that Sirius was an imposter, slammed him against the wall and started strangling him. McGonagall, who knew that Sirius was both innocent and alive, started scolding him and Snape, who was still lying on the ground, enjoying himself by watching Padfoot struggling to free himself and tell Hagrid that he was indeed Sirius Black at the same time, his feet dangling a yard from the ground. Harry, realizing that if Hagrid didn't stop choking his godfather Sirius would truly be dead in a short while, started trying to explain to Hagrid that Sirius really was alive, but couldn't make himself heard over the racket of Snape and McGonagall arguing, Hagrid's yells of, "You're not Sirius Black!! 'E's dead!" and Ron and Hermione's shouted attempts to wake up Flitwick.

Fortunately, Mr. Weasley came into the scene at this point with a strange expression on his face, halfway between fear and amusement. He, too, tried to get Hagrid to realize that the man he was strangling was really Sirius, but Hagrid just ignored him and told him that he must be Confunded. Seeing Sirius's face turn blue, Harry gathered together all of the strength he could and shouted at the top of his lungs,

"QUIET!!!" It seemed to have the desired affect, because everyone present stopped what they were doing to look at him, Flitwick woke up, and Hagrid dropped Sirius onto the floor. Mr. Weasley ran over to him and started explaining things as he helped Sirius up and supported him.

"Hagrid, this really is Sirius, Dumbledore and Lupin questioned him with Veritaserum. He was transported to the Sahara, nobody really knows how, why, or who did it, but he's alive."

"Sorry 'bout that Sirius."

"That's ok," Sirius replied weakly, still being supported almost entirely by Arthur.

"And Flitwick," he continued, "Sirius is innocent. It's a long story but I assure you, he did not betray Lily and James or kill all of those people." Flitwick nodded, but still looked warily at Sirius.

"Well, if everything is sorted out, we should probably get our classes put together, and allow Sirius time to recover from his little ordeal."

"Thanks Minerva," Sirius muttered and collapsed. Mr. Weasley staggered a little at supporting Sirius's full weight, but stayed standing

"If yeh need me, I'll be ou' back, tendin' ter the animals."

"And we'd better get our classrooms in order. Coming Flitwick?"

"Yes," he murmured, still seemingly entranced by Sirius.

When Sirius came to the next morning, he found he was lying on a sofa in the Gryffindor common room. So many memories from school came flooding back to him as he lay there, looking up at the ceiling. Running around the school with James's Invisibility cloak, playing endless games of Wizard's Chess and Exploding Snap late into the night and waking all of the other students up. Of course, they wouldn't get mad at the Potter and Black duo, not if they wanted to keep their dignity. Ron and Harry pulled him out of his musings by coming downstairs, rather loudly, he thought.

"Hey Sirius, you're awake!" Harry exclaimed. Sirius cried out in pain at the sound of Harry's voice and massaged his head. "Sorry," Harry added in a whisper as Ron went off to find Hermione and Tonks. After she had healed Sirius's headache, Tonks handed them a small pile of papers. She left the room with a wicked smile, saying they were from Dumbledore. Hermione took them with curiosity and stared for a few minutes, her face frozen in an expression of fear. It took a while for Ron or Harry to work up the courage to ask what they were, and when they did, Hermione only looked up at them, and then continued her staring contest with the sheets. Sirius finally got sick of the silence and pulled the papers out of Hermione's hand.

"They're just your O.W.L. results! Nothing to worry about here," he added with a smirk. Instantly, Ron, Harry, and Hermione started fighting over the pieces, looking for their own. Once found, they each sat in a different corner and stared at the papers. "Well?" Sirius prodded once he thought it safe. Hermione screamed and fainted, but the men paid no attention to her.

"I actually did alright!" Harry admitted. "I got a Dreadful in History of Magic, but I don't really need that one anyway..."

"How could you get a Dreadful there?"

"He fell asleep."

"Well that was stupid."

"Sirius, shut up. But I got an Outstanding in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, and...and Potions?!"

"I guess it helps when Snivellus isn't your teacher, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess so. And I got an E in Herbology, an O in Care of Magical Creatures, and an A in Divination and Astronomy. I can become an Auror!!"

"What about you Ron?"

"Well, I got an O in potions too, wow, and in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, and Care of Magical Creatures, an E in Transfiguration and Charms, and an A in History of Magic, Astronomy, and Divination."

"I think Dumbledore's Army helped a lot!"

"Yep!"

"What about Hermione?" Sirius pointed over to where she lay, the paper still in her hands. He walked over to her and started reading her grades. "Potions-O. Defense Against the Dark Arts-O. Herbology-O. Charms-O. Transfiguration-O. History of Magic-O. Care of Magical Creatures-O. Ancient Runes-O. Arithmancy-E."

"There's the problem." Harry nodded in agreement.

"What are you talking about?!"

"Hermione got an E in something."

"Isn't that good???"

"Not for Hermione!" Harry replied. She woke up then and got upset at the three of them for not waking her up sooner. The four of them were sitting around, after having breakfast delivered by Dobby, talking about careers when they had an unexpected visitor.

"Well, if I'm ever allowed to work again, I'd like to be an Auror too," Sirius was saying, as the portrait hole was opened and Lupin staggered in and fell on the floor. "Moony!! Nice to see you!! Why are you all tied up?" Lupin tried to say something, but since he was bound and gagged, it sounded rather like

"Mmflpdmmged!"

"I'm sorry Moony, what was that?" Lupin only glared at Padfoot.

"You mean, we never unbound you?" Hermione asked. Remus nodded vigorously, or at least as vigorously as someone who is bound and lying on the floor can be. "Did anyone ever let you out of the Great Hall?" The next answer was also muffled, but they assumed it to be a no.

"Well, who knows the countercurse?" Sirius, to their surprise, started laughing.

"Ron, there is no countercurse!!" Another frustrated answer from Moony.

"Well, anybody got a knife??" Harry asked, thinking back to the knife he had gotten a couple of Christmases ago from Sirius. However, it had melted when Harry used it to try and open a door in the Department of Mysteries.

"Nope." Ron and Hermione answered at the same time.

"We could always try Diffindo," Sirius suggested with an evil grin as he pulled out his wand. Remus's eyes widened and he let out frightened mumble. "Alright fine, have it your way." Sirius got up to untie his friend. "This brings back memories, now doesn't it?"

"Don't remind me," Remus groaned as soon as Padfoot took off his gag. Everyone present laughed, remembering the night during Harry's third year where he had met Sirius, and Snape had bound Remus, convinced he was helping his old friend into the castle.

"Uh, Moony? I can't untie these."

"Oh, stop joking!"

"I'm serious!!"

"I know you are!"

"I mean I'm not kidding!"

"Yeah right Padfoot."

"Fine. Harry, Ron, Hermione, get over here and try to untie him." The three did as they were told, but to no avail. "See! I wasn't lying!"

"Oh no!!" Remus moaned.

"C'mon Moony, let's go find Dumbledore," Sirius remarked as he lifted Remus up, stumbled, and fell over backwards.

"You want some help Sirius?" Harry asked, obviously amused by the scene. Sirius glared at him as he and Ron helped him to his feet.

"What about me?" Lupin asked, still on the ground.

"Hermione, you take his legs, Harry, you help me and support his head, and Ron, you run ahead and look for someone who can help," Sirius told them, like a general commanding his army. However, Sirius's army stayed where they were, smug looks on their faces. "What??"

"You forgot to say the magic word," Hermione replied loftily, looking up at the ceiling.

"Fine. Please."

"Ok!" they replied. Ron ran out the portrait hole and left the remaining four to make a slow descent to the Great Hall, where Dumbledore was waiting for them.

After getting Lupin untied, which took almost the entire Order and five pairs of scissors, they held yet another meeting, discussing what to do with Sturgis Podmore, who was currently locked in one of the dungeons.

"We could modify his memory," Arthur Weasley suggested.

"Yes, that is possible, but then, if somehow the truth potion was incorrect..." Dumbledore sighed and didn't continue.

"We could put him under the Imperious Curse."

"No Kingsley, we won't stoop down to their level."

"Wait!! I have an awesome idea!!" The rest of the Order groaned. "No, really! We modify his memory so that he just doesn't remember that we know he's the spy. Then we give him false information to either really confuse the Death Eaters or prove that the potion was messed up (which I don't doubt)" Sirius added under his breath. The rest of the Order decided that Sirius actually had a good idea ("Wow! Two in a row, great job Padfoot!") and carried out their plan.

**I really was going to update sooner! To make up, i'm also giving you chapter 13! Will that help? -Ducks objects thrown by reviewers- Sorry!!!!!!!!!!!**


	13. Diagon Alley

**See! Chapter 13! And you know how KCB's always going on about how blondes aren't stupid? The other day she threw her coin purse in the garbage! LOL! She's gonna kill me for that one. Anywho...**

**Do you see a copyright notice on this? No. We don't own this.**

Chapter 13

Diagon Alley

Harry woke once again to Sirius shaking him awake.

"Just five more minutes..."

"No, get up you lazy, good for nothing godson of mine!"

"Why????"

"JUST GET UP, OKAY!!!!!! _Tarantallegra!_"

Harry's legs went into an uncontrollable Irish jig and he fell out of bed and to the floor at Sirius's feet. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Ron woke up at this, rather disoriented, and yelled,

"Wha...where are they? You can't have my ice cream!" Then, upon seeing Sirius hovering over Harry's bed and, thinking Harry was being attacked by a ferocious Death Eater, he shouted, "_Rictusempra!_"

Sirius, not ready for a spell, fell to the floor, laughing hysterically.

At that moment, Mrs. Weasley stepped into the room. She took one look at the scene before her and yelled, "WHAT'S GOING ON HERE!?! We have to leave for Diagon Alley in 20 minutes! _Why aren't you up yet?_ Harry, stop dancing, and Sirius, what are you doing on the floor?"

"We're only going to Diagon Alley!?! Why didn't you say so mum?"

Sirius just continued laughing, not aware that Mrs. Weasley was even in the room. Harry tried to stand up, but failed miserably and landed on Sirius's head. Sirius just laughed harder. Ron, the only one who knew what was going on and thought it was hilarious, burst into fits of laughter as well. Mrs. Weasley gave an exasperated sigh and left the room to find Tonks, Lupin, and Hermione, would hopefully be able to stop the three of them from laughing and, in Harry's case, dancing. Unfortunately, Tonks and Lupin found the scene just as funny as Ron had, and they too, fell to the floor laughing.

Hermione, on the other hand, performed the countercurse for Tarantallegra. Although it stopped Harry's legs from dancing uncontrollably, it had no effect on the constant giggling, and she gave up and left. Five minutes later Mrs. Weasley came back again, this time with Mad-Eye Moody, who had showed up for the Order meeting concerning Sturgis Podmore. This stopped Harry, Ron, Tonks, and Lupin from laughing hysterically, but Sirius continued on as though Moody standing over him with a look of dismay and anger was as usual as breathing, although he was having trouble doing this at the moment.

"What happened here?" Moody exclaimed. He watched Sirius for a moment, disgusted at his behavior.

"Uhhh..." Ron muttered guiltily. "Do you know the countercurse for rictusempra?"

"Yes..."

"Uhhh, can you _use_ the countercurse for rictusempra?"

"Oh, okay." Moody muttered the countercurse, but Sirius just continued laughing, along with Harry and Tonks. Moody cleared his throat and Sirius, realizing for the first time that Mad-Eye Moody was standing over him, immediately stopped laughing and got to his feet.

"Sorry about that," Sirius remarked, still gasping for breath. "But now that you're going to Diagon Alley in a matter of minutes, I suggest you get dressed. I'm already dressed, but of course, _I_ can't go to Diagon Alley because _I'm_ a convicted mass murderer."

"No you're not," Ron replied. "Are you? Or are you just a crazed man living in his forgotten childhood?"

"What on earth do you mean by that?"

"Uhhh, never mind."

"Anyway, maybe you should get dressed, unless of course you want to visit Diagon Alley in your pajamas. I rather like yours Ron."

Ron's ears turned a deep shade of red as he and Harry made to push Sirius, Moody, Tonks, Mrs. Weasley, and Lupin out of the room. They quickly changed and ran down the stairs to the common room, out the portrait hole ("I say, slow down,") and into a beautiful woman they'd never met before.

"Oh, I-I'm sorry," Ron stammered stupidly.

"Quite alright, I'm fine. Why are you in such a rush?" she asked.

"Uhhh...we were...uhhh..."

"We were just going downstairs to get some breakfast," Harry replied.

"Wait...why are you here so early? School didn't even start yet. You do know that, don't you?"

"Uhhh..."

"Yeah, we just...like to get a head start," Harry finished somewhat lamely.

"Okay, enjoy yourselves. And slow down!" she yelled after them as they dashed to the Great Hall.

"Where have you been?!?" Mrs. Weasley scolded. "We were supposed to leave ten minutes ago! This upsets our whole schedule!"

"Relax, mum."

"Can I _please_ go with you????" Sirius begged on his knees.

"For heaven's sake, Sirius, act your age for once!" Sirius crawled toward her and made a sad puppy-dog face, revealing Padfoot in him. "Don't you take another step closer!"

"I'm not taking any steps!"

"Don't _move_ any closer then! You know what I mean, Sirius!"

"Aaaawwwwwww, I haven't been to Diagon Alley since _my_ school days!! PPLLLLLEEEEAAAASSSSSEEEEE?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?"

"Sirius, you know you'll get caught and then you'll wish you'd listened to me."

"I won't get caught! I'll be Padfoot!"

"Oh, this is getting ridiculous! Sirius, you're not coming with us, and that's that! Come on Ron, Harry, Hermione."

"But I haven't had breakfast yet!" Ron complained.

"Well Ron, that's your own fault. If I don't get to go to Diagon Alley with you, you don't get breakfast!"

"Mum, can't Sirius please come with us so I can get some breakfast?"

"Ron, that wasn't _my _reason, stop being so whiny. Now, let's _go_!"

"PPLLLLLEEEEAAAASSSSSEEEEE?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?"

"_NO!_"

"You guys never let me have any fun."

"Did you think Azkaban was fun?! Stay here!" Harry yelled.

"Well, I did get to plan many horrific tortures for Wormtail and Snivellus!"

"We're never going to get to Diagon Alley if you don't hurry up!" Mrs. Weasley yelled as Hermione was transported by floo powder to Diagon Alley.

"Coming, mum," Ron shouted. "Bye, Sirius. Sorry."

"You!" Harry commanded, pointing at Sirius. "Stay!"

"Fine!!!!!!" Sirius yelled at them as he stormed out of the Great Hall, muttering under his breath. "Azkaban. I'm _not_ going to get caught, if they'd just let me go with..." Suddenly, Sirius's eyes lit up at the idea that just came to him. Smirking, and making sure that no one was looking, he raced up to Gryffindor Tower.

"Ron, you're in desperate need of new robes, I'll meet you at Madam Malkin's in an hour. The rest of us will go to Flourish and Blotts. What's your new Defense Against the Dark Arts book called again?"

Just as the group stepped into Flourish and Blotts to buy their new textbooks, a pair of rough hands grabbed Harry by the shoulders and thrust him into a nearby alley, covering his mouth so he couldn't make any noise.

"MPHLMMBLWGHNMSPTYWNG!!!" Harry blurted through his captor's hands that he couldn't see. Apparently this Death Eater was wearing an invisibility cloak. Suddenly thick ropes from an unseen wand were binding him as the Death Eater dragged him off down the alley.

"Ernnnnn!!! Ermoneee!!!"

Meanwhile, Hermione and Mrs. Weasley were walking through Flourish and Blotts, browsing the bookshelves.

"Well, I think we've got all of your books. Go find Harry and let's head over to Madam Malkin's."

"Okay. Ummm, where is he? Harry? Harry?? Harry! HARRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Oh no, oh no, where is he??????? Harry!! Where are you!! HARRY!!" The two of them dashed out of the bookstore to find Ron, who quickly joined the hunt, still wearing one of Madam Malkin's robes.

Down another alley, Harry could vaguely hear Mrs. Weasley's frantic voice yelling out his name at the top of her lungs. He tried to respond, but all he could manage was,

"MWPPWMBMGHMMMMMMMMMMMM!" However, his captor simply ignored him and merely proceeded to drag him down the alley. He tapped his wand on one of the walls and a secret passageway immediately opened in front of them. Harry felt himself being dragged down the stairs until his captor let go of him, allowing him to fall the rest of the way. Still dazed, he was thrust into an uncomfortable wooden chair and bound to it.

"Well, Potter, my master will be very happy to find that the little brat is finally where he belongs. You know how much the Dark Lord wishes you dead. And now, I just have one final remark-THIS IS WHAT YOU GET FOR NOT TAKING ME TO DIAGON ALLEY WITH YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"SHRRIFFSSS?!?" Sirius, once again laughing hysterically, removed Harry's invisibility cloak and unbound him. Now that he was able to talk properly, he asked Sirius, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!? YOU'RE GOING TO GET CAUGHT!"

"Okay, I just got done dragging Harry Potter around Diagon Alley, bound and gagged. You'd really think I would've been caught by now."

"Okay fine, you win. Just don't scare me like that. Now let's go find Mrs. Weasley and tell her I'm alright."

"Or..."

"HARRY!!!!! Sir, have you seen Harry Potter around here?"

"No, if I had, I would have asked for his autograph! What, is he lost?"

"Captured by a Death Eater, more like. I doubt a sixteen-year-old wizard could get lost in Diagon Alley!"

"Right, sorry. Wait! _What did you say about a Death Eater?!?_ HARRY POTTER! WHERE ARE YOU?"

Ten minutes later, the whole of Diagon Alley, along with numerous members of the Order, were searching frantically for Harry. The _Daily Prophet_ reporters were going crazy, asking anyone and everyone if they knew anything about the whereabouts of Harry Potter.

Harry and Sirius, both under the invisibility cloak, were silently laughing, watching the scene before them. Once or twice, people came within inches from running into them, but luckily no one actually succeeded.

"Okay Harry, what do you say we go back to Hogwarts until this is all done."

"This is me we're talking about. It'll never be done."

"Yeah, true, but eventually they'll realize that you're not here any more and go look someplace else."

"Okay, works for me. Won't it be all over the _Daily Prophet_?"

"Nah." They walked into the now deserted Leaky Cauldron and flooed back to Hogwarts. Harry fell onto the floor of the Gryffindor common room.  
"Sirius, shut up! You know I hate traveling by floo powder!"

"Yeah, I know, but it's still funny!"

"No it's not!"

"Yes it is!"

"Okay stop."

"You stop!!"

"ERG!!"

"What, are you still gagged?"

"SIRIUS!! Fine, let's go and have some lunch."

"Why???"

"Because I'm hungry!! And I know you can't resist chicken." Sirius's eyes widened in delight and he ran out through the portrait hole, and fell on top of Professor McGonagall.

"Sirius, what are you doing?!?! Haven't you heard that Harry was captured by Death Eaters?!"

"WHAT?!?!?!?!" Sirius yelled, pretending to be surprised at this information.

"Please, stay in the Great Hall, there's a small chance that Harry could get away, and he'd probably come back here." Sirius raised his hand in a salute as McGonagall hurried off.

"Small chance?!?!?!!?!" Harry cried as soon as she was out of earshot. "Who does she think I am?!?!"

"Never mind her, McGonagall doesn't like anyone thinking that they're better than she is. Now, let's go have some lunch. My chicken awaits."

Later, in the Great Hall, as Sirius and Harry enjoyed a large platter of chicken wings, Hedwig and an owl Harry didn't recognize flew in and both dropped a letter onto the table. One was a frantic letter from Mrs. Weasley, saying,

Sirius,

Harry has been kidnapped by Death Eaters. Please stay where you in case he escapes and comes back to Hogwarts.

Molly

"Wow, she really has messy handwriting!"

"Oh, she's just worried about me, that's all."

"What's the other one?"

"Uhhhhh, it's a special edition of the _Prophet_ telling everyone that I've been kidnapped. Ha!! Did you know that the Death Eaters, also known as you, are going to throw me in a cauldron full of undiluted bubotuber puss? Or, better yet, leave me in a room with a group of enraged manticores."

"Can I read it??"

"Be my guest. But that leaves more chicken for me."

"Oh, no you don't." Sirius took the plate of chicken and put it in his lap as he read the article:

The Wizarding World's Darkest Hour

_Harry Potter Captured by Death Eaters_

Earlier this morning, panic gripped the heart of the wizarding population as Harry Potter, the Boy who Lived, disappeared from Diagon Alley, believed to have been ambushed by a pack of Death Eaters.

Witnesses of the abduction say they overheard them speaking of numerous tortures for the poor, young wizard, including being thrown into undiluted bubotuber puss, locked in a room with a group of manticores, and being murdered by You-Know-Who himself. We can only hope he survives and grieve for the possible loss of this brave hero. If you have any information on Harry Potter's whereabouts, please send an owl to the Ministry of Magic immediately.

It went on, giving a full description of Harry, including his eye color, hair color, height, weight, favorite pastimes, future occupation, and his deepest fears, which were all completely inaccurate.

By the end of the article Sirius was on the floor laughing for the third time that day. To his dismay, the chicken wings had fallen to the floor as well; however, he invoked the "five second rule" and ate them anyway. As the whole of Diagon Alley and the Order combed England for any trace of Harry, he and Sirius calmly played an exciting game of wizard chess, ending in a huge victory on Harry's part.

**We had LOTS of fun with that chapter!!!!!! Review please! It makes us feel all warm and fuzzy!**


	14. The Sirius Mistake

**Yes, i know the title is very cliche. Oh well. I must warn you this chapter is a little...interesting. You may start laughing, but that will probably be at me and KCB, not the actually chapter. If you do start laughing at the chapter, then you'll make both of us happy. I'm trying to get her approval to write a MWPP fic along with a couple of original characters that will come up in later chapters. Maybe if you review lots she'll comly...wink wink. Anywho...**

J.K. Rowling owns these characters. We are not J.K. Rowling. By the Transitive Property, we do not own these characters.** Did we already use that disclaimer? I can't remember. Oh well. Onto chapter 14!**

Chapter 14

The Sirius Mistake

Late at night, Sirius and Harry were keeping themselves occupied by Sirius attempting to teach Harry to become an Animagus in the Room of Requirement.

"No, no, no!! You need to focus!"

"I am focusing!!"

"Not hard enough apparently!!"

"It's rather hard to focus when you're screaming in my ear!"

"Well, I'm sorry! Read chapter two again!"

"I've got chapter two down, it's four I'm having troubles with!"

"'Becoming your animal'?! That's easy!!"

"Maybe for you, Mr. Black Dog!" The sounds of many pairs of feet thundering past them in the hallway abruptly stopped their argument.

"Harry, are you here?!" Mr. Weasley's panicked voice cried.

"We can't find Sirius either!" Molly shouted.

"You don't think that Death Eaters captured him too, do you??"

"How can they? They still think he's dead, remember?"

"Oh yeah. Probably just Sirius being Sirius. Harry!!!!"

"Yes, but we told him to wait here!"

"He probably went looking for those lousy, good for nothing Death Eaters! You know him!"

"Harry!!!!!!!!!! Do you reckon he's still alive?" Little did they know, Harry was only a few feet away from them, listening to their entire conversation.

"Yes, Molly, Harry is better than that, you know him!"

"Oh, but I'm just so worried about him! I should have been watching him better!"

"You know how Harry is, trouble finds him, and he can usually take care of himself. C'mon, let's go!"

"Go where?!"

"I don't know, somewhere Harry could be. In other words, not here."

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's voices drifted away as they walked down the hall.

"Um, Sirius, aren't we going to get into really big trouble?"

"Now that you mention it, yeah."

"So, now what???"

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm..."

"Great. You never thought this far ahead?!"

"Nope." Harry banged his head on the wall in front of them. "Stop it, you're gonna knock yourself out! Wait! That gives me an idea!!"

"You had an idea?! I always knew it would happen someday..."

"Shut it Harry. Listen. I stun you, we come out with the invisibility cloak, make it look like I just saved you from a bunch of Death Eaters and come out of the fireplace."

"Sirius, that's the worst idea I've ever heard! You are _not_ going to stun me!"

"Do you have a better idea?"

"Ummmmm, nope sorry."

"Fine, then it's settled. Do you have a quill?"

"What?!"

"Well, it would be kind of suspicious if you were unharmed."

"And what do you plan to do with my quill, if I give it to you?"

"Aha!! So you do have one! _Accio quill!_"

"Hey!"

"Great. No ink."

"Haha!"

"Oh be quiet. I could just use Diffindo to get the desired affect."

"Here! Take my ink!!"

"I knew you'd see it my way." He changed the ink from black to a deep red, and began slashing Harry's face with it.

"Ow!! Sirius, that hurts!!"

"Do you want to make this look realistic or not?"

"What are you doing to me?!"

"Writing on you."

"Do I look like a piece of parchment to you?"

"No comment."

"Sir-OW!!"

"Oh sorry, you moved."

"Would you cut that out?"

"Just a couple more...now onto your arms!"

"Aaaaaaahhhh!"

"Oh, be a man and deal with it. Do you want to see Mrs. Weasley's face when she realizes that you were never in any danger whatsoever?"

"Not in any danger, huh?"

"Oh be quiet and give me your glasses."

"What do you want with my glasses?!"

"I just want to break them!"

"Hey!"

"Harry, I'm a wizard. I can repair them, remember?"

"Fine, here, take them."

"Thanks!" He proceeded to throw them on the floor and pummel them with his shoe.

"Okay, that's enough!" Finally, the desired affect was reached and Harry appeared to have been severely beaten by a mob of quills. "I don't think this really looks right."

"What are you talking about?? It looks...great."

"Maybe we should just give up."

"NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We can't give up!! Do you realize what Molly would do to me?!"

"No, but I'm guessing it involves you dieing in some way, most likely slow and painful."

"Thanks for the encouragement."

"You're welcome."

"Now come on, we are going to show all of these people that you really did get captured by Death Eaters."

"Sirius, I..."

"_Stupefy!_" Harry fell backwards onto the floor, unconscious. "_Mobilicorpus_!" Harry hovered above the ground grotesquely and Sirius led him into the fireplace. He threw some floo powder into the flames, shoved Harry in, and cried, "Gryffindor common room, Hogwarts!"

"Now what, Dumbledore? We've searched everywhere. He obviously didn't escape," Mr. Weasley asked. The Order had come together in Dumbledore's office discussing what to do about Harry.

"I don't know," replied the headmaster. At this point they heard a loud banging on the door. Dumbledore stood up, walked slowly over to the door, and opened it revealing Sirius and the unconscious, quill-marked Harry.

"Dumbledore, he was attacked! Viciously! I only just found him..."

"Sirius, come with me and we'll take him to the hospital wing." Dumbledore pulled Sirius out of the room, took him aside, and remarked, "Okay, Sirius, what _really_ happened?"

"Uh, well, some Death Eaters were torturing him when I found him, and I uh, stunned them all and brought Harry back here? Heh, heh?"

"Nice try. Now, tell me the truth."

"That was the truth! What, you don't believe me?"

"No, actually I don't."

"Okay, fine. I snuck into Diagon Alley with Harry's invisibility cloak, grabbed Harry, we came back here and..."

"...and caused the entire wizarding community to go into a state of panic."

"But, Harry's okay, isn't that enough?"

"Well, considering he was attacked by vicious quills and stunned by his own godfather, I doubt it."

"So, what are you going to do to me?"

"Normally for a case of abduction, I would ask Filch to hang you from the ceiling by your ankles. However, in this case, I'll just tell the entire Order, who will be thoroughly upset at you, and probably try to kill you. I suggest you start running now."

"Where's Filch?"

"Very funny. As long as you show me Harry's okay, maybe I'll let you off this time..."

"He's fine!!! See, _ennervate_!" Harry opened his eyes, and seeing Dumbledore immediately sprang into a long apologetic speech.

"Professor! I'm sorry but I couldn't help it! Sirius, he snuck up behind me and tied me up and I didn't know what was happening anyway so when I found out it was Sirius I went back to Hogwarts with him and we've been here ever since but we didn't want anyone to worry but we also didn't want to get in trouble so we came up with the idea, well actually it was all Sirius's idea, to pretend I _was_ kidnapped by Death Eaters and so he attacked me with quills and broke my glasses and stunned me and it's all his fault don't expel me!!!!!!"

"Thanks for the help Harry."

"Sirius explained it all to me but it was rather interesting hearing it from _your_ point of view."

"So you're not going to expel me?"

"Not unless you _want_ me to."

"Yes he does!"

"No I don't!"

"Now, let's see if we can't make this whole story seem convincing." Dumbledore cleaned the massive amounts of ink used on Harry off and fixed his glasses. "Harry, you'll have to stay hidden for a few days to make this look real."

"But what about the _Daily Prophet_?"

"We simply tell them that an anonymous rescuer saved you and leave it at that."

"That works."

"And Sirius, you're welcome to stay with him, but please don't cause any more catastrophes."

"Aye aye, captain!"

**What did i tell you? Veeeeeeeeeery unusual. But then again, this is us you're talking about. PLEEEEEEEEEEZZE REVIEW!!!!!!!!**


	15. Some Interesting Conversations

**So, today at lunch KCB and my friend Jessie decided to have some fun with my food. The end product was a brownie stabbed many times with a fork and covered in cream cheese, plus chicken fried rice with milk (actually poured in the chicken fried rice) and pieces of napkin in it. I'd advise you not to eat anything like that. Ever. Anyway, i would write thank yous, but since only one of you reviewed...**

**Padfoot's Sidekick-Heeehee yes, chapter 13 was much fun. and we're glad you like 14 too. And thank you ever so much for reviewing.**

**Why is Padfoot's Sidekick the only one reviewing??? Please make up for my bad meal experience and review!!!! Anyway...We don't own it! We don't!!!!!!!!! And onto chapter 15, my favorite to-date, comprised totally of conversations between the authors (as the title suggests). Enjoy!!!!!!!**

Chapter 15

Some Interesting Conversations

The next morning's edition of the _Daily Prophet_ featured a rather large picture of Harry and an even larger article on his so-called rescue. Harry thought it ironic that the man they were praising would be killed on the spot if he stepped out in public. Sirius found this fairly amusing as well and as they were some of the few people who actually knew the whole story, it was even funnier to hear the reactions of others-Ron for example.

"I heard they tied you up and were planning on feeding you to a three-headed dog!"

"Well, they did tie me up..." He gave Sirius a meaningful look as he held back fits of laughter at his friend's stupidity.

Hermione, on the other hand, didn't believe a word of their story and, like Dumbledore, found out the truth rather quickly.

"Why didn't you just tell the truth and be done with it?"

"Are you kidding? Molly would've had my head! Besides, what if the entire wizarding population found out that Harry Potter was abducted by Sirius Black? That would be even worse!"

"You shouldn't have even been _near_ Diagon Alley! You could've been caught!"

"Hermione, the point is that Harry's okay and I'm not in Azkaban. Give it a rest."

"I will not! You know what could have happened, what were you thinking?!"

"I was thinking about getting out of here, and now I'm thinking that maybe I should do something to you!"

"You could tie her to a chair too!"

"Shut it, Harry."

"_He tied you to a chair!!! In the middle of Diagon Alley?!?_"

"Actually, it was in a secret room."

"So?! You tied your godson to a chair and pretended to be a Death Eater!"

"Your point being?"

"My point is that it was a stupid thing to do and you're not setting a good example for Harry!"

"Oh yeah, I'm just so stupid that I'm going to wander around and tie people to chairs every chance I get just because my godfather did it to me."

"Hey!! Take that back! Tying you to a chair was genius, pure genius!"

"I have to admit, you had me fooled when you bound and gagged me, and especially when you talked about killing me!"

"_You did what?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"_

"Yeah, Hermione, didn't you hear him calling 'Ermoneee!!!'?"

"Hey, it's hard to talk when you're gagged!!"

"Sirius, you are the strangest godfather in the world."

"Why thank you!"

"That wasn't a complement."

"It was for me!"

"Never mind. C'mon Harry, let's go."

"Go where?? I wanna come too!"

"Fine, you can come. We're just going to go talk to Mrs. Weasley..."

"Aaaaaaahhhhhhh!" Sirius screamed and ran out of the room. Harry and Hermione laughed as they wandered around to find Ron's mother, who still had all of their books.

After another breakfast in the Great Hall, the Order decided it was time to move out of Hogwarts. The only question was-where. After a long, heated argument they finally agreed to meet once a week at Lupin's house, not having a headquarters at all. This left Harry in a bit of a predicament, seeing as how he refused to go anywhere near Privet Drive. Deciding that the Burrow, though Harry's first choice of a place to stay, wouldn't be safe, Dumbledore determined that Harry would return to Grimmauld Place with Sirius on the condition that no more disasters would occur. Ron and Hermione were welcome to come, but Hermione refused, knowing what Sirius had done the day before, and Mrs. Weasley refused to let Ron spend the rest of the summer with Harry and Sirius, terrified of what would happen if the three of them were left alone. Harry was getting his things together when he and Ron got into an interesting conversation.

"Harry, I'm really sorry about yesterday."

"What about it?"

"Well, you could have been killed!"

"Oh, that."

"How can you take it so calmly?!"

"Um, well, I uh, just, well..."

"Harry, is something wrong?"

"No, no, it's just that, well, I was never in any danger at all."

"What?! Okay Harry, even you have to admit that Death Eaters are something to worry about! Don't be all brave and proud!"

"No Ron, that's not it at all!"

"Hey, look at me! I'm Harry Potter, and I'm invincible!"

"Ron! That's not what I meant!"

"Oh, yeah right."

"NO! What I meant is that there were never any Death Eaters!"

"What?!?! You made up that story just for fame?! I can't believe you!"

"No, Ron!!! Sirius did it!"

"Huh??"

"Sirius captured me, it was his way of getting back for telling him to stay here! We went back here, it was all his idea!"

"So, we went running all over Diagon Alley looking for you and you were with Sirius the whole time?!"

"Yep, that's pretty much it."

"Why didn't you just say so?!"

"Do you realize what your mum would have done to him?!"

"Good point. Is that why Hermione practically screamed when you asked if we wanted to come with?"

"Yeah, it is. And I don't really blame her either." Ron laughed.

"I almost feel sorry for you."

"Thanks."

Harry was soon packed, as he didn't have many things to begin with, and was waiting for Sirius, who was checking over Grimmauld Place and fixing all of the broken furniture that was still present from the fight with the Death Eaters. He soon returned, and Harry said his goodbyes to Ron, Hermione, who was going to the Burrow with the Weasleys, and the rest of the Order. Dumbledore made them promise once more that no more disasters would occur, at least until school started, and they left through the fireplace.

"I can't believe him!" Hermione cried after they'd gone.

"Who, Harry or Sirius?" asked Ron.

"SIRIUS! He's going to get into trouble one of these days!"

"He already got into trouble, remember?"

"Harry's not helping him much either."

"Yeah, but Harry can't really help that he's not helping."

"Well, someone has to keep Sirius in line before he gets himself kissed by a dementor or something!"

"Don't worry, he's a big boy, he can take care of himself. I think. I hope."

"TAKE CARE OF HIMSELF!!!!! How can you say he can take care of himself if he can't even take proper care of his godson?! Why do you always take Harry's side?"

"I'm not trying to take anyone's side!"

"Then answer me!"

"I'm just saying that Sirius needs to get used to the idea of taking care of someone else and not acting like he's still 16 as well!"

"The entire wizarding world was going crazy! You do know that Harry is the only one that can stop Voldemort, don't you? (An-yeah, i know harry never told them about it. just pretend he did). Everyone thought he'd been killed! What would that mean for the future? Sirius was being immature and irresponsible and you know it!"

"Harry and Sirius just need some time to bond! How would you feel if you were stuck in prison for 12 years and your godson was being raised by a bunch of Muggles?!"

"I was raised by a 'bunch of Muggles' Ron, remember me? Hermione the Muggle-born?"

"Yes, but, well, uhh... your godfather wasn't in prison for something he didn't do, was he?"

"That's not the point! The point is, I think the veil affected Sirius's brain in some way."

"How can it affect Sirius's brain??? He never had one!"

"Thanks for the help, Ronald. We've got to do something about him!"

"Do what?!"

"Oh, this is getting ridiculous. Let's just go to the Burrow before we're stuck here overnight."

"Okay, fine."

Back at Grimmauld Place, Harry and Sirius were looking for the source of a strange, high-pitched noise.

"Argh," Harry yelled, "it's giving me a headache!!!"

"Aah! That sound is going to drive me mad! Where is it?!?!?!"

"I don't know, it's your house! Just make it stop!!!!"

"It's NOT MY HOUSE!!!!!!"

"It's as good as your house. You don't think we're being attacked again, do you?"

"By evil high-pitched sounds??"

"FILTHY BLOODTRAITORS!"

"Oh shut up mum!"

"JUST MAKE IT STOP!!!"

"I'm trying to!!!"

"No you're not, you're standing there covering your ears! Do something!"

"That is something!"

"Maybe we should go upstairs and see what it is so we CAN do something about it."

"Okay, you go first."

As Harry stepped one foot on the stairs, they heard a loud crash from one of the upstairs bedrooms.

"What was that?"

"How am I supposed to know?!"

"You lived here!"

"So?? That was a long time ago!"

"FILTH! SCUM!"

"Oh shut up already!!!!"

"Let's go instead of just standing here, okay?" Harry suggested.

"Okay fine."

Harry and Sirius cautiously crept up the remainder of the stairs and peeked around the corner into the first bedroom.

"Nothing here."

"Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm."

"What?"

"There's nothing there!" Sirius cried.

"I JUST SAID THAT!"

"So?!"

"What?"

"I don't know! Let's just keep going!"

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

"I said, 'LET'S JUST KEEP GOING!!!!!'"

"OH, OKAY."

"This is one of those times that I really wish my animagus form wasn't a dog!"

"It's better than a goldfish or something like that!"

"That's true."

"You're lucky you even HAVE an animagus form!"

"You'll have one in a while!"

"Did Lupin come here and we just didn't realize it was the full moon?"

"No, the moon was full a few days ago, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. THEN WHAT IS IT?!?"

"I DON'T KNOW!!!!"

"Keep walking, I'm sick of running into you every time you want to talk to me!"

"OKAY!!!"

As Sirius and Harry tiptoed up to the last bedroom on the floor, the noise seemed to get louder.

"Harry, I think it's coming from in here!"

"YOU GO IN FIRST! IF ANYTHING HAPPENS YOU CAN TRANSFORM!"

"Sure, fine, make Sirius go in. He can just transform."

"WHAT? I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

"NEVER MIND!!!"

"JUST DO IT!"

Sirius approached the room slowly, and opened the door to peek in. He switched form and bounded in, then came running back out with his tail in-between his legs.

"Well, what is it?"

"It's Buckbeak!!! I forgot he was here and he's going on a rampage!"

"WHAT?!? Get him something to eat before he tears the house apart and the neighbors call the police!"

"Number one, the neighbors wouldn't notice, they don't know the house is here, remember? Number two, you know how much I hate this house anyway. Number three, what's a police???"

"Never mind."

"WHAT??"

"I SAID NEVER MIND! GO FEED HIM ALREADY!"

"FEED HIM WHAT?!"

"I DON'T KNOW...CHICKEN!"

"NO!! NOT MY CHICKEN!!!!"

"TURKEY THEN, JUST FEED HIM SOMETHING!"

"I DON'T HAVE ANY TURKEY!!"

"WELL THEN, FIND ANOTHER WAY TO MAKE HIM SHUT UP!"

"BLOODTRAITORS! FILTH!"

"HOW DO YOU GET A HIPPOGRIFF TO SHUT UP?! OR MY MOTHER, FOR THAT MATTER!"

"WAIT! SIRIUS, SILENCING CHARM!"

"OH YEAH!! _SILENCIO_!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Well, that was interesting."

"Now what?"

"Maybe you should go find something for him to eat."

"Right."

**Well, i must say that WAS very fun. It'd be even more fun if, say, we got at least 3 reviews! Give us three reviews by sunday night and we'll give you TWO chapters on Monday!**


	16. The Spirit of Fire

**Yay!!! 5 Reviews! Of course, four of them were from the same person, but that's beside the point. As promised, 2 chapters! Give us 6 reviews and we'll give you another 2 in a week. Anyway, about this chapter. It's strange. Very very strange. All of a sudden i just started writing it and it came out like this and it was never intended to be so weird but here it is.**

This is fanfiction, people. The very name says that we didn't actually come up with these people. Quit rolling your eyes!** Onto the Spirit of Fire!**

Chapter 16

The Spirit of Fire

It was a week after Harry had come to Grimmauld Place, and, once again, he and Sirius were practicing the Animagus transformation.

"Alright Harry, you're gonna do it this time, okay?"

"Easy for you to say." Sirius ignored Harry.

"So the book says, and I quote, 'Focus totally on yourself. Close your eyes and forget about everything but you.' Try thinking of words that can describe you, or things you like to do, that sort of thing. Just relax and forget I'm here. Just focus totally on yourself..."

Sirius's words seemed to fade away as Harry slipped into a kind of trance. What's happening? he thought to himself, walking through some mountainous region. Or maybe he was just imagining the walking. He couldn't tell. At any rate, there were mountains, huge mountains, with a reddish glow cast on them. Harry worried for a second that they were volcanoes, about to explode, but he quickly got over that. Even though he'd never seen this place before, he felt like he knew it as well as Hogwarts, or Privet Drive. He knew where he had to go, but couldn't figure out why, or how he'd gotten there in the first place.

"It doesn't matter, I'll just ask Sirius later," he muttered out loud as he continued walking. He looked up at the sky for the first time and noticed that it was red too, and wondered for a second where the light was coming from, but dismissed that thought as well as he suddenly walked into a cave in the side of one of the mountains. Here, he found, was the origin of the red light-fire was coming up through holes in the floor; he felt like he needed to walk through those flames, but it didn't feel hot or painful like a normal fire. On the contrary, it had a warm, comforting feeling, and as he passed through them and came out toward the center of the room, he realized that he wasn't burned or even blistered in any way.

He moved to the middle of the cave, and saw another flame shooting up, but this was a different kind of flame. It felt alive, like it had feelings and a mind, which, Harry shortly discovered, it somewhat did.

"Ah, I've been waiting for you." Harry looked around for the origin of the voice, but found no one else in the area.

"Who are you?" he asked hesitantly, still looking wildly about him.

"My name? I have no name, Harry."

"But, how do you know who I am? And where are you?"

"I am right in front of you, can't you see?" Harry turned to look, and saw, to his astonishment, that the fire in the middle of the room seemed to have a face. "And as for how I know you, that is not important right now. You may learn someday, or you may not, but don't fret about it like a fool."

"Okay, so, _what _are you?"

"I am simply the spirit of fire."

"But, what am I doing here??"

"You've been called here to accept your destiny."

"My-my destiny?"

"Yes, your destiny."

"I don't understand."

"You will shortly; I will explain. In trying to discover your Animagus form, you have stumbled upon this place. It is ancient and powerful, yes, filled with strong magic. For you see Harry, your courage, loyalty, faithfulness, and nobility have been evident since you were born. They set you apart, make you different from other wizards, even other Animagi."

"But I'm not an Animagus yet," Harry protested.

"That is not important. You will soon be an Animagus; I assure you that the transformation will be achieved before the Winter Solstice. But once again, that is only a trivial matter at the moment. You have been called here because of what you are, your inner animal."

"My what?"

"Your inner animal. Every person, muggles included, has an inner animal. Only those who become Animagi can bring theirs out."

"So, you're going to tell me what it is then?"

"Yes, I will, for, like I said before, you are different. Your loyalty, courage, all of your other qualities, and especially that love of flight, make you unique. For you see, Harry, you have an inner animal that no other person in the world has ever had, or ever will have for that matter."

"What is it?"

"You are a phoenix."

"I'm a-a phoenix??"

"Yes, a phoenix. As I am sure you know, a wizard will almost never have a magical inner animal. There have been a few dragons in the past, maybe a unicorn or two, I even remember one person becoming a manticore once, but a phoenix is so rare, so magical, so pure that you are the only person able to show all of its attributes."

"But, why is a phoenix especially pure? Unicorns are pure too, aren't they?"

"Yes, they are pure, but they have an innocent type of purity. A phoenix's purity is of a different nature; one that will ensure that it fights evil, and triumphs, too. And that is why your inner animal is a phoenix. Do you see the connection, Harry?"

"I have to fight Voldemort..."

"Yes, you must fight Voldemort. You are the only person who possesses the kind of purity such as a phoenix. You must fight Voldemort, and you must triumph. You _must _Harry Potter, you must..." Harry noticed the fire lash out at him, and as it pulled back he could see a mark on his hand, like a burn, but it wasn't painful at all. "You see, Harry? My fire has left a sign for you, of your purity. It will remain as long as you live, but only those who you tell about it will be able to see it. And now, Harry, I am afraid it is time for you to go, although I am rather sad to say so. You have no idea how boring and lonely it gets being the spirit of fire. Goodbye, Harry Potter."

Harry felt the rock collapsing, the fire was falling all around him, and he was falling, too; falling into it.

"Harry-"

Harry heard a voice calling him. It was very faint, and sounded vaguely familiar.

"Harry!" It was getting louder, he could tell, and wondered who on earth would be disturbing him right now, right after he had learned of his inner animal.

"Harry!!" That time, the mysterious voice seemed to jolt him out of his thoughts, and he recognized its owner.

"Sirius, what do you want?" he murmured, trying to open his eyes.

"Harry, are you okay?"

"I think so, why wouldn't I be?" This was turning out to be a weird conversation, as Harry still couldn't open his eyes, and was still trying to figure out what Sirius was talking about.

"Harry, we were working on the transformation, and all of a sudden you just collapsed."

"I collapsed? But I was walking in the mountains."

"You were doing what?! Where?! What mountains?!"

"I don't know, the fire just said it was a really magical and ancient place."

"Let me get this straight-you were walking through a bunch of mountains, but you don't know what or where they were, and talking to fire."

"Yeah."

"Harry, are you sure you're ok?"

"Yes, I am."

"Can you at least open your eyes?"

"I can try." However, Harry failed miserably and could hear Sirius sigh somewhere above him.

"So, I'm almost afraid to ask, but what did this fire say?"

"He said that I'm a phoenix, that I'm different from all other people because I have a special kind of purity and have to fight evil and triumph."

"Okay Harry, you were officially having a weird dream."

"It wasn't a dream!" Harry had finally managed to open his eyes and sit up, though he had to hold on to Sirius for support.

"Harry, read my lips. You were having a dream. That's it."

"But, but, it was so real! And..." Harry trailed off as he looked at his hand and saw the mark the fire had left there.

"Harry, show me proof of how that wasn't a dream and I'll believe you."

"Okay. The fire made a mark on my hand, it said something about it showing my purity, and it said that only those that I told about it could see it. Well, I just told you about it."

"Harry, that's absolute rubbish, you don't have a...wow, you _do_ have a mark on your hand. That wasn't there a second ago!"

"See, it wasn't a dream! Well, okay, it kind of was, but it kind of wasn't, you know?"

"Yeah, I think I know. Now, it said that your animal was a phoenix?"

"Yeah, it did."

"Well, that's new."

"I know. It said that no one had ever had a phoenix before, or ever would again."

"Well aren't you special."

"Oh, be quiet."

"Well, one good thing came out of this at least."

"And what's that?"

"Now we can move on to the next step!" Harry groaned and fell back into bed. "Oh, come on now, it's not that bad, is it?" Harry simply glared at him. "Okay fine, be that way. Now that you know what your animal is, I don't have to spend my time helping you become it."

"What else are you going to do?"

"Ummmmm..."

"Thought so."

"Hey, I have Order meetings to go to!"

"Yeah, once a week."

"So?"

"Never mind. Besides, the fire told me I would have the transformation down by the Winter Solstice."

"Well that's fast."

"I know. How long did it take you? About three years?"

"Hey, you've got help from an actual Animagus, and this book is a heck of a lot better than the pathetic library one we used."

"Yeah, I know. Excuses excuses."

"You be quiet."

**Told you it was strange. Oh well. 17's right behind it!**


	17. On the Way to Hogwarts

**And here's chapter 17. We're finally getting to Hogwarts during the actual school year! Nothing else to say except 6 reviews by monday. :)**

We don't own these characters or this world. We own the video games, computer games, books, and movies, but not the people themselves.

Chapter 17

On the Way to Hogwarts

Summer ended all too soon for Harry, who was having much more fun now that his godfather had given the Animagus transformation a rest and was no longer tying him to chairs. And now the question of how Harry was to get to King's Cross arose, since Sirius, although he would have loved to come, was not allowed to go any where near it. In the end, it was decided that Lupin would Apparate into an alley near the house and take Harry there via muggle taxi. On the last day of holiday, Sirius came into Harry's room to find him sitting on the bed, staring at his half-full trunk.

"Having trouble packing, are you?" he asked. Harry looked up at him and smiled.

"You know, I think this is the first time that I ever didn't want to go back to school." Sirius laughed.

"So my purpose in life is fulfilled." He came over to Harry and sat down on the bed. "So, why don't you want to go back?"

"I don't know, I just, well..."

"You're worried that something will happen to me?" Sirius finished for him. Harry nodded.

"It's just that, you know, back in June I thought I would never see you again."

"Harry, I'll be fine, I promise. Don't worry about me." He put his hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Just promise me you won't do anything stupid."

"Now, I can't promise you that, but I will promise that as long as you don't go running out of Hogwarts by yourself and getting caught by Death Eaters, I'll stay where I'm supposed to." Harry laughed.

"Deal."

"Now, do you want some help with this stuff?" Sirius waved his hand at the untidy pile of assorted clothes, books, and other belongings. Harry nodded desperately as Sirius used his wand to instantly move everything off of the floor and into Harry's trunk.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. Now, how about some supper? I think we've got some really good chicken somewhere."

The following morning was much less hectic than the last few times Harry had left for school. Sirius, serving as his alarm clock, jumped onto his bed as a dog and licked his face at about 8 o'clock in the morning. Shortly after they had started breakfast, Remus came over and shared the pancakes with them. They played a few games of exploding snap afterwards, and then it was time for Harry and Lupin to take off.

"Goodbye Sirius!"

"Goodbye Harry. See you Moony."

"I can come over for Christmas break, can't I?"

"Of course you can! And Hermione and Ron are welcome to come too, that is, if they're not still afraid of me."

"Why would they be afraid of you, Padfoot?" Lupin inquired, apparently unaware that it was Sirius that had abducted Harry in Diagon Alley.

"Umm, no reason."

"Well, Harry, we'd better get going if we're planning on catching the train." They loaded Harry's things into the trunk of the taxi (with some difficulty) and made their way to King's Cross.

"So, um, nice weather we're having?" Lupin stammered, attempting to break the silence.

"Yeah, it's uh, really bright out today."

"Look, Harry. I know you'll miss him, but there's always the Christmas Holidays."

"Yeah, and I can always owl him too."

"Owl?" the taxi driver turned around and stared at Harry, perplexed.

"Keep your eyes on the road!" Harry yelled, as they narrowly missed colliding with a rather large truck.

"Anyway, you might find that you won't miss him as much this year."

"Why? What do you know that I don't?"

"Oh, nothing," Lupin replied in a lofty voice.

"Right..."

"So, about that, uh, class you're taking with me..."

"Oh, you mean Occlu...I mean, Occupational Guidance," Harry finished stupidly.

"Yes, that one. Since I'm not going to be around that often, I've asked your new Defense Against the, uh, Mosquitoes teacher to fill in for me. Have you met her yet?"

"Actually, Ron and I ran into her at Hog...school. Literally."

"You ran into her??"

"Uh, yeah. She didn't seem to mind that much actually."

"Okay then. Is she nicer than Umbridge?"

"_Anyone_ is nicer than Umbridge."

"Even Snape?"

"I don't even consider Snape a human being."

"Frankly, neither do I, but he's still your teacher and you have to respect him."

"You're just saying that because you need the potion from him."

"_POTION?!?_ What kind of cult do you people come from?"

"_OBLIVIATE!_ Word of advice. Never talk about those kinds of things around Muggles."

"Um, Lupin, how much of his memory did you erase?"

"I guess I went a little overboard, didn't I?"

"Yeah, because I think he forgot how to drive this thing." At that moment, the taxi swerved off the road and into a creek.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" all three of them screamed as the car plunged into the water. After a couple minutes, they all managed to get out of the taxi and haul Harry's trunk and a screeching Hedwig up the steep bank.

"Hermione will never let me live this down," Harry muttered looking down at his soaked clothes.

"Neither will Sir-I mean, Uncle Ned. Look at the bright side, you'll change into your, um, other clothes on the train. Oh, and Harry? You're missing a shoe."

"Shut it Lupin."

"Well, you can't go school without a shoe, can you now?"

"This is all your fault! If you wouldn't have, uh, done that thing, we wouldn't have crashed in the first place! _And_ I'd still have my shoe!"

"You're the one that had to go blabbing about po-um, polkas!"

"You're not very good at this are you?"

"Let's just say that you've had practice with this sort of thing since you happen to live with Muggles!"

"Can we just get to King's Cross sometime before the next ice age?!"

"Wait, we still have to pay him!"

"Uhh, Lupin? I think maybe he _forgot_ about that."

"Right. Let's go before anything else happens."

Later aboard the Hogwarts Express, Harry was being thoroughly laughed at by Ron and scolded by Hermione.

"What were you thinking? Don't you know that you're not supposed to talk about that sort of thing in front of Muggles?"

"Hermione, I know that. I'm not as stupid as you think."

"Harry, you're missing a shoe!" Ron exclaimed, trying not to fall on the ground laughing.

"I'm aware of that. And Hermione, it was Lupin that started the whole thing."

"Right. I'm supposed to believe that _Professor_ Lupin would do something as stupid as that."

"How would you know? Besides, he's not our Professor anymore."

"So?"

"Harry, why are you so wet?"

"Haven't you been listening, Ron? Lupin and I fell into a creek because our stupid taxi driver forgot how to drive because a _Professor_ I just happen to know erased half his brain!"

"Harry, why is your shoe flying?"

"_WHAT!?!_"

"Look out the window." Harry did, and to his surprise found that his shoe was indeed flying.

"That's a little freaky."

"Oh, for heaven's _sake_, it's not flying!"

"Then please explain to Ron and me why my shoe is hovering of its own accord outside the compartment window."

"Hedwig is carrying it, can't you see?"

"No."

"Look harder, then! Honestly, boys can be so stupid sometimes."

"Hedwig is not...oh." Harry opened the window and let Hedwig in the compartment. "Thanks! Eww, it's still wet!"

"Well, that would be your own fault."

"No, that would be Lupin's fault!"

"No," Ron cut in, "I think it would be the taxi driver's fault. He is a Muggle after all."

"_I'M_ A MUGGLE, RON!"

"Oh, right. Sorry."

**Also an interesting chapter made up of author conversations. And i forgot, we're not actually at Hogwarts yet. Next chapter-Sorting, the new defense teacher, and another little suprise. Review!**


	18. The Welcoming Feast

**is officially annoying me by not saving any changes. Okay, let's try this again. Since you didn't give us 5 reviews (or was it 6?) you'll only get one chapter. i'll update soon. Now we're finally at hogwarts, and if anyone wants to copy this sorting hat song (they're IMPOSSIBLE to write!) feel free, just give us credit. And yes, Peterson, Kelly and Taylor, Emily are us. No, those aren't our real last names. You'll see us pop in here once in a while, making total fools of ourselves. Sorry if we copied anyone's name, that was not intentional. Anyway, please read and review! Oh, wait a second, not yet. **

We don't own any of the characters, except for Heather. WE OWN HEATHER!! SHE IS OURS! WE OWN HER! MUAHAHAHA!!

**There. Now you can read and review.**

Chapter 18

The Welcoming Feast

Upon arriving at Hogwarts, Harry, Ron, and Hermione got off the train. They headed over to the school carriages, which Harry had found out just last year were not horseless like he thought they were and were actually driven by thestrals. They got into a carriage joined by Neville, and the carriages made their way to the castle.

They were greeted at once by Nearly Headless Nick, who walked (or rather floated) them to the Great Hall, where they took their seats at the Gryffindor table. After a few minutes of loud chatter, Professor McGonagall brought out the Sorting Hat on the same brown stool. The Sorting Hat was patched and frayed, with a rip near the brim. As soon as the Great Hall was quiet, it burst into song:

_In times of pain and times of doubt, _

_Our world's in disarray,_

_We need to band together,_

_That's all I have to say._

_For shortly you will try me on,_

_And see where you belong._

_I will tell you where to go,_

_I've never yet been wrong._

_You might be put in Gryffindor,_

_For they are strong and brave._

_Those folks are very daring,_

_And chivalry they crave._

_Or maybe in fair Hufflepuff,_

_Where you will surely see_

_That patience is a virtue,_

_And loyalty's the key._

_Or in cunning Ravenclaw,_

_Where the smart reside._

_Their wits and cleverness are always_

_Very hard to hide._

_And last, but not least, Slytherin,_

_Where ambition is the king,_

_Those power-hungry leaders_

_Are always scheming._

_S o put me on, don't be afraid,_

_I'll tell you where to go,_

_You can't hide anything from me,_

_For I already know!_

"You know," Ron remarked as they clapped along with the rest of the school, "that's kinda creepy."

"Yeah, it is," Harry replied as "Addams, Daniel" became a Hufflepuff.

"Baxter, Marie!"

"RAVENCLAW"

Then a set of identical triplets; "Foster, Anne and Alice" were placed in Gryffindor, but their sister, "Foster, Abby" was put in Hufflepuff.

"Oh, come on!" Ron groaned. I'm hungry!!!"

"Ron, the Sorting is a Hogwarts tradition, deal with it!" Hermione snapped back as "Graham, Mildred" became the first new Slytherin. Shortly after that "Johnson, Cody" became a Gryffindor.

"McShane, Peter!"

"Hufflepuff!"

"Morgan, Trent!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Peterson, Kelly!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Raddison, Nina!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Taylor, Emily!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Yes, just two left!" Ron cried triumphantly. "Washington, James" was made a Hufflepuff, and "Zablocki, Ned" became a Ravenclaw.

"Welcome, welcome everyone! I know you're all dieing to get at the feast, but I have a few announcements before we start. First off, our caretaker, Mr. Filch, has asked me to tell you that any product of 'Weasley's Wizard Wheezes' is outlawed and, if found, will be confiscated. Second, I would like you all to welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Miss Heather Windling!"

"That's her!!" Ron hissed at Harry, who didn't need reminding, as they clapped with the rest of the school. Many of the boys were staring at her with a strange look on their faces.

"Miss Windling also has her dog Sam with her, who will usually stay in her office, but when he wishes to roam around the school, please be kind to him and allow him to do so. And so, without any more delays, let us begin the Feast!"

Instantly the table was filled with massive quantities of food. Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who seemed to have temporarily given up S.P.E.W., immediately piled food on their plates and began to eat. Duck, beef, steak, pork chops, puddings, sausages, potatoes, bacon, and a large amount of chicken that would have made Sirius cry with happiness sat before them as they talked animatedly about various things.

"So 'ow was your time with Snuffles 'Arry?" Ron asked through a mouthful of carrots.

"Oh, it was great. And," he added with a whisper, "I learned what my Animagus animal is."

"Really Harry? That's wonderful!" Hermione cried, although rather quiet, even though it didn't really matter how loud they talked since everyone around them was talking and not paying attention anyway.

"Yeah. What is it?"

"It's a phoenix."

"A phoenix?! Wow, people almost never have a magical animal, and no one's ever had a phoenix. I read about it in _A Contemporary Guide to Animagi_."

"So how long do you think it'll be before you can actually transform?"

"Well, Snuffles thinks that I should be able to by Christmas." Harry decided to leave out his conversation with fire, thinking it my scare Ron and Hermione a bit.

"Wow, cool!! You have to take us flying sometime!"

"Ron, Harry's Animagus form is not some plaything!"

"It's okay Hermione, I'd be fine with carrying you around somewhere." The conversation moved onto Quidditch, Professor Windling, Hagrid, Professor Windling, and then, during dessert, Professor Windling.

"Ron, I think you're going crazy," Harry told him as they were walking up to the Gryffindor Tower.

"Yes Ron, she's not _that_ pretty."

"What are you talking about!?" Ron answered, still dumbstruck. "I mean, she's practically a goddess, so pretty, so perfect, and I bet she's smart too-OW! Harry, don't just randomly stop in the middle of the hallway! Harry?" Harry, however, was paying no attention to Ron. He was entirely focused on the scene in front of him. Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones were standing in the corridor, talking with Professor Windling and petting a large, shaggy black dog.

"So how long have you had him?" Hannah asked, scratching behind his ears.

"Oh, just a day. He's a stray; Dumbledore asked me to take care of him."

"Oh, he's so cute," Susan cooed.

"We'd better head off to the Common Room, Sue."

"Right. See you later Professor. Bye Sam!"

"Goodbye girls," she answered, and then turned to her dog. "So, are you coming with me?" Sam bounded away toward Harry, Hermione, and Ron at the point. "I guess not. Well, you know the way." She turned and walked to her office.

"Oh my-" Hermione began.

"Is that…" Ron stared at the dog, and then Sam gave them a look and headed off down another corridor, looking back over his shoulder.

"I think he wants us to follow him."

"Yeah, I think you're right." So they ran after the now sprinting Sam, who appeared to be going in circles around a certain wall. However, he was actually opening the Room of Requirement and, making sure no one was looking, Harry, Hermione, and Ron followed him inside. Their suspicions turned out to be accurate as "Sam" transformed back into a man before their eyes.

"Sirius, what on earth do you think you're doing?!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Just enjoying some time at Hogwarts."

"So _this _is what Lupin meant!"

"He didn't tell you about this, did he?"

"Well, he sort of hinted at it on the way to King's Cross."

"Oh well. You should have seen the look on your face!"

"And you should have seen the look on yours when Hannah scratched you behind your ears," Harry retorted.

"What?! I-I didn't enjoy that! I'm just trying to act like a real dog!"

"Right…" the three of them replied at the same time.

"Hey! Don't gang up on me like that!"

"Serves you right. Why didn't you tell me about this?!"

"I wanted it to be a surprise!"

"I think your surprise scared Harry half to death!" Ron chuckled. Harry glared at him. "So, Sirius, think you can introduce me to Professor Windling?"

"Not if you want me to stay alive."

"No, not particularly-oomph!" Harry had elbowed him hard in the stomach.

"You mean she doesn't know about this?!"

"No one but Dumbledore knows, and Snivellus, once he sees me in the halls."

"Do you realize what could happen if you let your guard down?!"

"Of course I do, which is why I made this room soundproof."

"But what about Malfoy?!"

"What about Malfoy?"

"He knows your Animagus form!"

"Don't worry about it. Dumbledore took care of that with a well-placed memory charm."

"Still, someone could see you!"

"Relax, most of the time I'll stay in Heather's office, except when I want to talk to you."

"But how will we know when you want to talk to us?!" Hermione practically screamed, fed up with the conversation.

"One word-mirror."

"Oh yeah."

"I'll just contact you when you've got breaks, we can come over here, yadda yadda. Or I might go find you in the common room if it's an emergency."

"Won't you need the password?"

"I live with a teacher Ron. Heather knows the password."

"Ooops, sorry."

"Well, you three ought to be going. Somebody might want to know why you disappeared into an invisible room with a dog for half an hour."

"Right," Harry replied. "See you, Sam."

"Never call me that again."

**So, how was that? KCB and i are happy for a number of reasons.**

**1. We just finished writing chapter 29.**

**2. We got 25 reviews! Mile marker!**

**3. We have new reviewers! Which reminds me...**

**Padfoot's Sidekick-Thanx for being such a dedicated reviewer and loving our story! It makes us feel happy!**

**Inferno Elf-Wow. That's a lol of reviews. Yes, they are a little strange sometimes, but you get that with us.**

**Mrs. Riddle233-Thanks! There may or may not bea sequel, we could just string all of it together (it goes for years past hogwarts, or at least, it's supposed to) but that might get really long. Don't know, we'll figure it out later. And thanx also for the support of my theory!**

**KCB-once again, why are you reviewing? Just to make me happy? (although, it did give me great joy to see an email and 2 new reviews when i opened my inbox. Oh well.**

**So, that was 18. You'll probably get 19 around friday or saturday, depending on the number of reviews we get (wink wink). and, i must warn you, it gets a little boring until about chapter 24. We still like it though, and KCB's friends have turned into groupies, demanding me to bring in chapters. (Shudder) JK guys!! Ok review I've talked long enough. Review!!!!!!**


	19. Dog Food

**Come one people, you can do better than that. One review??? (thank you inferno elf, by the way). Anywho, here's chapter 19, justa filler chapter, 1st day back, and an interesting little situation Sirius got himself into.**

**Don't sue us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**By the way, take a look at A.J. of Gryffindor's C2 community. Simply go into our profile, click C2 communities, and click on that one. All Sirius after ootp stories. So, here's Dog food.**

Chapter 19

Dogfood

Harry woke the next morning to a loud banging noise, followed by an even louder scream of pain.  
"I just had a really weird dream. Hermione kept telling me to eat my goobers. What are goobers anyway?" Ron asked stupidly.  
"Don't look at me. What was that noise?"  
"What noise?" At this point, Neville came hobbling up the stairs.  
"Ow. Ow. Owwwwww."  
"Neville, what's wrong?"  
"Ow." Ron shrugged at Harry as they got up out of bed and got dressed. They met Hermione in the Common Room and headed down to the Great Hall.  
"Great, our schedules," Ron moaned as Professor McGonagall passed them out.  
"I've got N.E.W.T. Transfiguration with the Ravenclaws, then Potions with Slytherin, then Defense Against the Dark Arts. What about you, Hermione?"  
"Same thing. Ron?"  
"I've got N.E.W.T. Transfiguration, Divination, then Defense Against the Dark Arts. With Professor Windling…"  
"Oh Ron, give it a rest already!"  
"Why?"  
"Oh never mind."  
The three of them headed upstairs for Transfiguration, where McGonagall gave them an extensive lecture on N.E.W.T. Transfiguration and set them to work on turning a goldfish into a cat.  
"Mine still had scales, do you think that's bad?"  
"Mine was still orange, and it tried to bite its own tail, which looked a lot like a fin."  
"Mine still had gills; it died."  
"My cat's whiskers were too short."  
"Hermione, give it a rest, you're making the rest of us look bad," Ron grumbled as Harry and Hermione went down to the dungeons for Potions.  
"Have a good time in Divination, Ron."  
"Oh be quiet, Harry. I wonder who's teaching it this year anyway."  
"Don't know. What I do know is that we've got to get going before Snape docks 50 points from Gryffindor. Are you coming Harry?"  
Harry was currently staring at Professor Windling, who was walking Sam (Sirius) down the hall.  
"I don't suppose any of you can point me in the direction of Professor Hagrid," she asked sweetly.  
"Uhhhhhh…"  
"Just through those doors and to the left. You can't miss his cabin." She nodded and walked past them, Sam throwing them a dirty look. "And Ron, do close your mouth, you're drooling on my shoes."  
"Oh, sorry Hermione."  
"Well, you'd better hurry up and get to Divination before you're late."  
"Yeah, yeah, I know."  
"I wonder what's wrong with Sam," Harry remarked as they walked down the stairs.  
"Oh, don't worry about him, I'm sure Hagrid can take care of him."  
Potions class made history that day, as it was the first time Harry hadn't lost any points for Gryffindor, a new record.  
They joined Ron, who was happy to announce that Professor Trelawney, (she had returned and was working with Firenze) was not as much of an old bat as she usually was, on the way to Defense Against the Dark Arts. Ron was disappointed that Professor Windling was late to her own class.  
"Sorry," she panted as she ran in five minutes after the bell, Sam still on a leash. "I had to take him down to Hagrid's. Anyway, hello, I'm Professor Windling, but you already knew that. I've never been fond of giving or receiving long lectures, basically saying that I won't tolerate you being late, you have to work very hard in my class, and that I expect you to give 110, so we're going to jump right into the lesson. Today we will expand your protection against curses and jinxes thrown your way. Do you all know the shield charm?" There was a murmur of agreement from the class. "Okay then, you will come up one by one, I will shoot some kind of spell, and you shout _'protego'_ to block it. Get it? Good. We'll go alphabetically and then I won't have to take the roll call either. Convenient, no?"  
She proceeded to go down list, calling them up one by one. Hermione was the first person to correctly use the charm; Professor Windling hit Lavender with expelliarmus, and Seamus was thrown backwards into Ron's desk by a forceful reductor curse. A short time later Neville fell to the floor, petrified. Parvati was victim to a strong stunning spell, and then it was Harry's turn. His shield was so strong that it threw rictusempra back at Windling, and she had to drop to the floor in order to avoid being hit. After Harry, Dean's shield held up against tarantallegra, but Ron, who would normally have been able to use the shield charm properly, was hit with densaugeo, and Professor Windling had to perform the countercurse.  
"Alright, well, that was an invigorating warm-up, don't you think?" Most of the class groaned, and Windling smiled at them. "If you don't think you can handle this hands-on stuff, I could always have you guys write an essay…" Immediately everybody was standing with his or her wand out. "Thought so. Now that we've had a little practice round, why don't you all split up into groups of four and shoot spells at each other for a while?"  
Hermione, Ron, Harry, and Neville got into a group, and by the end of class everyone was nursing an injury of some kind. Professor Windling held Harry back to talk with him about Occlumency.  
"How much do you know?" she asked.  
"Not much, really."  
"Well then, we'll get started soon. Come by my office tomorrow night after dinner."  
"Alright." As he turned to leave, Sirius, or Sam, licked his hand and, in doing so, dropped a piece of paper into it. Ron and Hermione were nowhere to be seen, so he slipped off into an empty classroom to read it.

_Harry,_

_Go to the Room of Requirement after dinner tonight. Bring me some food, preferably chicken._

_Sirius_

Harry stuffed the parchment into his pocket and ran up to the Gryffindor Tower, looking for Ron and Hermione. After giving the Fat Lady the password (blubber monkeys) he climbed through the portrait hole and heard a sharp scream, followed by glass shattering.  
"What happened?" Harry questioned.  
"I don't know; all of a sudden Hermione just shrieked and dropped something," came Ron's reply. At this point Hermione came down from the girls' dormitory and dragged them into a closet.  
"What was that for?" asked Harry.  
"Sirius just talked to me through the mirror; he wants us to meet him in the Room of Requirement after dinner."  
"And to bring some food," Harry added. Hermione gave him a surprised look. "He gave me a note when I left Professor Windling's room."  
"Now what's wrong with him?"  
"Don't know, but I guess we'll find out."  
They decided to use Harry's invisibility cloak, as someone might want to know why they were carrying food around the school. However, it was difficult for three people carrying a bundle of food to move under the cloak. They finally managed it, and fell into the room. Sirius was waiting for them there, lying on a sofa. He pounced on the food they had brought, which gave Harry time to ask what was going on.  
"What was wrong with you today?"  
"Oh, that, oh, nothing, nothing."  
"Right…"  
"Alright, fine. If you must know, she's feeding me dog food. I WILL NOT EAT DOGFOOD!!!!!!" Harry and Ron looked at each other, then burst out laughing. "It's not funny! How would you like to eat dog food?!"  
"Sirius," Hermione prodded, "does Hagrid know that you're Sam?"  
"Don't know." He was still glaring at Harry and Ron, who were now rolling on the floor.  
"Because if he did, I bet he could tell Professor Windling to feed you table scraps instead."  
"That's a great idea Hermione! Why didn't I think of that?!"  
"Gee, I wonder…"  
"Oh, be quiet. Can you tell Hagrid?"  
"Sure. Harry, Ron, you might want to get off the floor."  
"Right," Harry gasped, picked up some parchment, and started writing a letter to Hagrid.

_Dear Hagrid,_

_We were just petting Sam in the hallway, and Professor Windling told us that he's not eating. You've actually met Sam earlier this year, and he seemed to be fine then. He was eating table scraps then, could you tell Miss Windling to start doing that again? Sam says hi, by the way, and doesn't hold a grudge for you thinking he was a traitor._

_Harry_

"There, how does that sound?"  
"Perfect. And thanks for the food."  
"You're welcome," the three of them replied at the same time.

**Alright, please review. And tell me what you thought of the new format. Keep it up? Go back to the old one? I think the old one's actually easier to read but oh well. Review it!**


	20. Conversations with Jarveys

**Two reviews? Better than one, i guess... Anyway, another filler chapter, in here because we ran out of other ideas and we wanted to have fun with Malfoy-Muahahaha!!!!!!!! Oh, and Sirius got himself into another interesting little...issue. So anywho...**

Have we not already drilled this into your heads?!?!? WE ARE NOT J.K. ROWLING!! Therefore, WE DON'T OWN ANY OF THIS!!!!!!!!!!!! Well, except for Heather. **Onto chapter 20!**

Chapter 20

Conversations with Jarveys

"…And then she said that, just because he was a centaur, doesn't mean that he was better than everyone else. I personally think that both of them should just give up and let us play Quidditch."

"Why did you take Divination in the first place, Ron?" Hermione questioned, obviously annoyed.

"I don't know. I guess I just couldn't find anything else I wanted to take, and this way I can just make everything up anyway." The three of them were walking to Charms class, when Sam came bounding out of nowhere and skidded to a stop in front of them. However, he was only about the size of a squirrel.

"What happened?!" Harry shrieked, startling everyone in the hallway. However, as he couldn't very well transform in plain sight, Sirius only started emitting loud barks. They would have been rather impressive if he was his full size, but since he was only three inches tall, they were more squeaks than anything else, and caused Ron to start laughing uncontrollably.

"Well, at least your travel-size now," Ron gasped between laughs. The bell rang, signaling the start of Charms.

"You're right Ron," Hermione commented, stuffing Sirius into her bag, "he is travel-size." They sprinted into the room and took their seats, Hermione setting her bag down rather carefully. Flitwick didn't seem to notice they were late, however, and jumped right into the lesson.

"Alright class, let's begin. Today we will be working on the Protean Charm. Can anyone tell me what that does?" Every D.A. member, which was about all of the class, raised their hand. "Well, Hermione, could you please tell us about this Charm?"

"It's a complex charm that causes whatever happens to one object happen to other objects."

"That's correct, ten points to Gryffindor. Now, to correctly perform this charm, you must spin your wand around in a counter-clockwise motion, point it to the floor, then whip it up back at the object wish to charm, and say, '_proteano'_. We will be practicing on parchment; each person will get three sheets. Begin."

By the end of class, Hermione had three essays on her sheets of parchment, covering various jinxes. All Harry managed to do was rip all three of his pieces, but Ron thought that he could pass that off as his prowess at the Protean Charm. They had a break after Charms so they raced over to the Room of Requirement, where Hermione let Sirius out of her book bag.

"Okay Sirius, explain!" Harry demanded. He transformed and whined, in a rather high and squeaky voice,

"Professor Windling had them practicing the Reductor Curse, and one kid pronounced it wrong and set the Shrinking Charm on me!! Change me back!! Please!!!" Harry and Ron looked at Hermione, who was trying very hard not to laugh, and failing miserably. "What?!"

"It's just, well, it's just very humorous to see you six inches tall," she chuckled, attempting to keep a straight face.

"Can you just change me back already?!"

"Sure, just let me get-"

"Shh, someone's coming!!" Ron hissed. The other three listened (although Sirius wasn't a very big help) and heard footsteps coming towards them.

"Potter's going to pay for landing my father in jail," Malfoy spat, as the footsteps got nearer.

"Do you think they know about this room?" Hermione whispered.

"I don't know, but I don't particularly want to stay here and find out," Harry replied, looking around the room for a suitable hiding place. An invisibility cloak was hanging conveniently on a hook near them, and Harry grabbed it, threw it over the four of them, and they waited. Malfoy and undoubtedly Crabbe and Goyle seemed to be pacing back and forth. Ron and Hermione threw a worried look at Harry, who shrugged back. Their suspicions turned to fear as they heard Malfoy say,

"Hey, I've never seen this door before." He opened it and the three of them stepped into the room. Malfoy looked around at the room, thankfully got bored with it, and left, Crabbe and Goyle slouching along behind him.

"That was really too close for comfort," Ron muttered, stepping out from under the cloak.

"Can you _please_ change me back now?"

"Oh, right." Hermione grabbed her wand and cried, "_Engorgio!_" Sirius returned to his normal size and was so happy that he hugged Hermione.

"Thank you thank you thank you!!"

"You're welcome."

"But we have a problem," Harry pointed out. "Malfoy knows about this room now."

"That's true, but we could always think about a back door when we open it," Ron suggested.

"Or I could lead you into a broom closet."

"And everyone in the hallway would know that Sirius Black was talking to students in a broom closet in Hogwarts," Hermione reminded him.

"Oh yeah."

"Just lay low for awhile. By the way, is Professor Windling still feeding you dog food?" Harry asked.

"Nope. Hagrid managed to convince her. Sadly, she doesn't seem to eat chicken very much."

"Speaking of Hagrid, we ought to get going or we'll be late for Care of Magical Creatures," Hermione chided them.

"Just as long as Hagrid doesn't come up with some new animal for us to take care of," Harry muttered.

"Yeah," laughed Ron, "maybe he'll cross a bicorn with a chimaera and call it a two-horned fire hazard." The rest of them laughed (though Sirius was a bit confused) and Harry, Ron, and Hermione went down to Care of Magical creatures.

"Today I got a special treat fer yeh. Jus' follow me, down 'ere now, tha's it."

"I wonder what it is this time…" Ron muttered as they followed Hagrid to the paddock behind his cabin. In the far corner of the paddock stood an animal that looked like a giant ferret.

"Alrigh', now what yeh got 'ere is a jarvey. This'un here's a male, found 'im rummaging around me pumpkin patch. Yeh can come closer, he don't bite. Now, jarveys, they can talk, yeh see. But they never have anything too nice ter say." The jarvey lifted its head and cackled in a scratchy voice.

"It's nothing more than an overgrown rat," Malfoy sneered.

"And you're nothing more than a donkey on too legs," it spat back at him. Malfoy staggered backwards, apparently not used to being insulted by an animal.

"Told yeh they don't say nothing nice," Hagrid was fighting back laughter as he watched this argument unfold. Malfoy, with a sudden burst of confidence, stepped over the fence into the paddock to continue his argument with the jarvey.

"Oh yeah? Well, I've seen more intelligent centipedes than you!"

"I bet, you overgrown gnome!"

"What are you saying to me?! If you knew who my father was, you'd think twice before insulting me."

"I knows who your father is, little boy." Malfoy grew silent and pulled out his wand and shouted the first spell that came to his head:

"_CRUCIO!_" The entire class gasped at the use of an unforgivable curse by a student.

The jarvey quickly jumped out of the way. "Is that the best you can do? I've seen better spells from a rat." Malfoy screamed in rage and ran up to the castle, Crabbe and Goyle following.

"Well, I guess we know wha' 'e'll be when 'e grows up."

**Yes, i know it was boring. It WILL get better, these are just filler chapters because we can't move directly into Halloween...But of course, you don't know what will happen on Halloween until you read it...That's where everything starts to get exciting...But it's also in chapter 24...So review, or you'll never get to see the exciting part! Less than 3 reviews, no chapter. Kapeesh?**


	21. Occlumency and Some Assorted Secrets tha...

**Yay! There are the three reviews! So anyway, things start to get a little more interesting in this chapter. We learn some...things. Review please!**

**We don't own this! Well, we own the plot, Heather, and some more original characters who come in much later, but the rest of it's JK's.**

Chapter 21

Occlumency and Some Assorted Secrets that a Couple of the Characters Should Have Mentioned before Now

"Now, Professor Snape has done Occlumency with you before, correct?" Professor Windling asked Harry. They were practicing Occlumency in Windling's office. The office had been miraculously transformed from the torture chamber it was last year into a comfortable living space, which looked remarkably like an apartment complex. Pictures hung all over the walls, undoubtedly from her own time at Hogwarts. Harry thought he saw his mother in one of them.

"Yes," Harry replied. "I didn't get very far though."

"Okay. First thing's first. You know how to clear your mind of all emotion?"

"Depends on your definition of 'know'."

"Alright then. Forget about what happened today. Focus on…that spot on the wall. The wall and nothing else. Clear your mind. Do you understand?"

"I think so. It's very…brown."

"Excellent. Now, we'll try the spell and see how you handle it. It's alright if you don't get it the first time. Are you ready?"

"I think so."

"Good! _Legilimens!_"

Harry didn't see brown anymore. Instead, he was seeing the day Hagrid had first come to him and told him he was a wizard…He was battling the Hungarian Horntail in the Triwizard Tournament…Umbridge was taking away his broom…Buckbeak was chomping on ferrets…Cedric was lying on the ground in a graveyard…

"Nnnoooooooooooo!!!!!!!!" He was lying on the ground, his hands covering his eyes.

"Well, that was an…interesting warm-up." Professor Windling helped Harry into a chair and gave him a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. Once he had recovered enough, he stood back up and faced her again.

"Okay, obviously the wall didn't work too well. This time, focus on…Sam here. He's a very friendly dog and I'm sure he won't mind you staring at him." Harry looked down at Sirius, who gave Harry an encouraging wink and left. This angered Harry, who was hoping Sirius would stay for moral support, so he looked up at Windling instead.

"_Legilimens!_"

She faded away and he saw his parents in the Mirror of Erised…Fawkes was dropping the Sorting Hat at his feet in the Chamber of Secrets…The boa constrictor he set on Dudley was hissing in his ear…Sirius was falling backwards into the veil…

It stopped. Windling was giving Harry a curious look. Harry was on the floor again, looking up at her, confused.

"Umm, okay I think that's enough for today. Remember, Harry, always try to clear your mind completely before bed. Good night." With that, she strode out of the room, leaving Harry alone in her office. He was starting to feel really uncomfortable when an open drawer caught his eye. Looking to make sure Windling wasn't coming back, he cautiously peered inside.

In the drawer was a stack of papers, a ring of keys, a book, and a photo album. He pulled it out of the drawer and opened it. It was filled with moving pictures, undoubtedly more of Professor Windling at Hogwarts. One in particular caught his eye-his mother, father, Sirius, Remus, and Wormtail all sitting by the lake. He was about to turn the page when he noticed something odd about it. His mother was in the picture twice. That couldn't be right, but it was there. _Maybe it was just a problem with the camera_, he thought to himself, and flipped to the next page.

This picture was different from the others-it didn't move. _A Muggle picture_, Harry thought. But then he realized who was in the picture: His mother, Aunt Petunia, and…_his mother's identical twin!_

All of a sudden, Harry felt a hand on his shoulder. He whipped around and saw Professor Windling staring at him. She pried the photo album from his hand and stuffed it back into the drawer. "You'd better get back to your dormitory. Come back on Friday night at eight. Good night."

"My mother had an identical twin," Harry explained. He, Ron, and Hermione were sitting in their three favorite chairs in the now empty Gryffindor common room.

"Well, it was entirely possible," Hermione stated.

"But the question is, why did she have a picture of my mother in her drawer?"

"They were friends at Hogwarts?" Ron suggested.

"But that still doesn't explain that my mother was a twin, Ron. That would mean I have another living blood relative, which means…"

"Which means what?!" Ron asked.

"Which means I wouldn't have to live with the Dursleys anymore! The question is, who is she?"

"I bet Sirius would know. Why don't you just ask him?"

"Good point. Do you have that mirror handy? Where does he keep it anyway? Where does all the stuff in your pockets go when you transform?"

"I guess you'll find out by the Winter Solstice, Harry," Hermione reminded him. "And yes, I do have that mirror." She handed it to him.

"Sirius Black," he whispered into the mirror. Immediately, Sirius appeared.

"I've been waiting for you to contact me. I've just been sitting here in the Room of Requirement for an hour! So how'd Occlumency go?"

"Ummm, she just stopped after two tries and left. By the way, HOW COME YOU NEVER MENTIONED MY MUM HAD A TWIN SISTER?!?"

"Because you never asked. Besides, she doesn't anymore. She died about a week before your parents did."

"How do you know? And who is she? AND WHY DOES PROFESSOR WINDLING HAVE A PICTURE OF HER IN HER DRAWER?!?"

"In answer to question number one, I _know_ because we were engaged. Question two, her name was Heather Evans. Question three, how should I know? I'm just her trusty dog."

"YOU WERE ENGAGED TO MY MOTHER'S TWIN SISTER?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I was. She was having dinner with her parents-your grandparents. That was the night the Death Eaters came. All three of them were killed."

"WHY DID YOU NEVER MENTION THIS?!?!?"

"Did it occur to you that maybe I don't really want to talk about my dead fiancée?"

"Oh, right, sorry Sirius."

"That's ok."

"Do you know if she and Windling were friends?"

"Nope. I'd never heard of Windling before a few days ago."

"That's weird."

"Yeah, I know. You'd think we would have noticed her at Hogwarts, especially considering how gorgeous she is."

After a few grueling hours of homework, some conversations with Sirius that went nowhere, and many thoughts of his dead aunt, Friday night finally came. Harry said goodbye to Hermione and Ron and walked slowly to Professor Windling's Office. For some reason, he was almost afraid to see her. She had been her usual perky self most of the time in classes, but Harry had caught her staring off into space, sometimes with tears forming in her blue eyes.

Before Harry realized it, he was at her room. He cautiously opened the door to find Professor Windling sitting at her desk, Sirius laying at her feet.

"Hello," she remarked cheerfully. "We're going to start right away, so focus on something and clear your mind." Harry did as he was told and kept his gaze on Sirius, who stayed put this time. "_Legilimens!_"

Sirius was replaced by Aragog…Winky was sitting by the fire…Ron was trying to kick Crookshanks…Nearly Headless Nick was hovering above the floor, smoking…bright green light was flashing in his face as his mother was screaming…

"_Petrificus totalus!_" Harry shouted, not really comprehending what he was doing. Windling moved to avoid his spell and stopped her own.

"Well, you tried to combat it that time, just, in an interesting way. Here." She held out her hand, which Harry gladly took and got to his feet. She gave him some chocolate and motioned for him to sit down in the chair by her desk. "Do you know how to block someone who is invading your mind?"

"No."

"Well, let me teach you then. The key is to focus all of your energy on what you're doing. Forget about the images you're seeing, and think about pushing me, or whoever is trying to read your mind, out. It's really a matter of willpower. Let's just try this once more. _Legilimens!_"

Harry tried to block out the images of the basilisk rearing up at him and concentrated on forcing Windling out. The images disappeared altogether and there seemed to be a battle for power in his head. He was just about give in when Professor Windling stopped the spell.

"Very good Harry! It's a definite start. Would you like some butterbeer?" Harry nodded weakly; blocking her spell had really taken away his energy. "Here. It's got a potion in it that should help you recover. Now, I have a question for you. How do you know Sirius Black?"

Harry nearly choked on his butterbeer. "I-I don't know what you're talking about!" he managed to splutter.

"Yes, you do. I saw that image. I know. Spill it."

"I don't know Sirius Black!"

"Actually, I think you do."

"There's Veritaserum in this butterbeer, isn't there."

"No, there isn't. Just please, tell me, is he still alive?"

"What?!"

"Is Siri still alive? I saw that image of him falling through the veil-he's dead, isn't he?"

"What in the world are you talking about?!?"

"I'm not who you think I am. My last name isn't Windling."

"You're my mum's twin sister!!"

"Yes, I am. And I'm very sorry that I forced you to live with Petunia for most of your life."

"I'm so confused. If you're my mum's twin sister, how come you don't look like her? And isn't she supposed to be dead?!"

"Never mind that little tidbit for the moment. I used a spell to change my hair and eyes. Watch." She undid the spell to reveal bright green eyes and vivid red hair flowing down to her feet. Harry gasped. "So do you believe me now? How do you know Sirius?" Harry gave the black dog that was his godfather a quick glance; there was a look of agreement on Sirius's face, so Harry explained.

"In third year, everyone thought Sirius was after me, because they thought he was working for Voldemort. I met him at the end of that year, where he told me how Wormtail had framed him. It turns out that Wormtail was living as my friend Ron's rat, and Sirius was only trying to protect me. He convinced Lupin and me that he was innocent, but then the Dementors came."

"What?!?!?!?!?!?!" Heather shrieked.

"Don't worry, Hermione and I helped him and he escaped. Then the next year he wrote to me a lot, last year he was working for Dumbledore, and he fell through that veil thing because a bunch of Death Eaters were attacking me and he came to fight them and his cousin Bellatrix hit him with a spell."

"I always did hate that woman. But, Sirius, he-he's dead?"

"No, I'm not." Sirius had transformed and was now standing next to Harry. Heather took one look at him and fainted.

**I never realized how so many people faint/black out/slip into unconsciousness in this story. Oh well. Next chapter's pretty boring, but Halloween's not! Three reviews for the next chapter!**


	22. How Many of the Assorted Secrets were Ex...

**That was cool! Can you do it again? This chapter, according to KCB, is "monotonously (sp?) boring." Hope you do think so. Anyway, we still don't own it. And by the way, this is explaining how the secrets were explained, not, as KCB thought, asking how many of them were explained.**

Chapter 22

How many of the Assorted Secrets were Explained

Heather awoke sometime later to a pair of low voices murmuring around her.

"Do you think she's okay?"

"Yeah, all she did was pass out."

"But she could have hit her head!"

"Sirius, you worry too much."

"I do not!"

"You do too!"

"Be quiet or you'll wake her up!"

"Isn't that the intention?"

"No! I mean yes! I mean…I don't know!"

"I think you're losing it."

"I am not!"

"Yes you are!"

"No I'm not!"

"Yes you are!"

"Do you two mind?" Heather had finally opened her eyes to show she was awake.

"Harry, you were being too loud!!"

"Look who's talking!"

"Shut it!"

"Really, it's okay, I've been awake for a couple of minutes anyway."

"Why didn't you say so?!?! We've been worried sick!!!"

"Actually Sirius, _you've_ been worried sick."

"Wouldn't you be worried if you thought your fiancée was dead and now you find out she's alive and then she fainted?"

"I never thought about it that way…"

"Of course you didn't."

"Oh be quiet."

"You two argue a lot."

"You've noticed?" Harry replied dryly. Sirius ignored both of them.

"Alright Heather, you've got some explaining to do. Like, how the heck you're alive!"

"The Death Eaters never killed me."

"We figured that much," Sirius interrupted.

"Do you want to hear this or not?! I escaped, but the Death Eaters think they killed me, thanks to a nice memory-modifying spell. They wanted me dead for some reason, I don't know why."

"Because you're a Muggleborn, duh!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Oh, you be quiet. Anyway, I Disapparated to America and stayed there for a while. I studied Defense, among other things, in the hopes of becoming a teacher, but I couldn't find any openings. When I heard you'd escaped, I moved back here, under a different name and appearance. And then this year Dumbledore had an opening, so I applied for the job."

"Does he know who you are?" Harry questioned.

"Yes, but he's the only one, other than you two. And now for your explanation, Sirius. I'm afraid Harry's account wasn't very…useful."

"Well…let's see. What do you want to know?"

"Everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Okay then. I escaped from Azkaban when I realized that Wormtail was at Hogwarts with Harry. After some rather interesting episodes…"

"Like what?"

"Like slashing the fat lady and scaring Ron half to death!" Harry put in.

"Nobody asked you. Anyway, at the end of the year I caught up with Harry and Remus-"

"How is he?"

"Fine, for what I know. He's staying at my house and taking care of Buckbeak."

"Who?!?!"

"I'll get to that in a second. So I caught up with Harry and Remus, who at first wanted to kill me, but then learned the whole story. Of course, at about this point, Snivellus came in and had to mess things up a bit."

Heather let out a string of swearwords Harry knew certain people like McGonagall and Dumbledore wouldn't have approved of. "I always hated that little freak. Do you know how much willpower I'm using not to go up there and smack him in the face each time I see him?"

"Tell me about it. He obviously got in the way a bit, but Harry, Ron, and Hermione took care of that. Then, as Moony forgot it was the full moon, Wormtail got away and the Dementors closed in on me. From what I've heard, as I was unconscious at the time, Harry used a Patronus to get rid of them. Then he flew Buckbeak the hippogriff up to the tower where I was kept and got me out."

"And you managed this how?!?"

"My turn Sirius."

"Be my guest."

"Hermione and I collapsed by the Dementors too. I didn't actually conjure a Patronus powerful enough to get rid of all of them. We both woke up sometime later in the hospital wing, where no one would believe our story. You should have seen the look on Snape's face."

"I can imagine," she growled.

"But, Hermione and I went back in time to stop Buckbeak from being executed, I conjured the Patronus that actually stopped the Dementors, then we flew up to the tower. And I really don't know much after that."

"That's okay, I can take over from here. After that whole ordeal, I high-tailed it south and stayed in Africa for awhile."

"Oh, that's where you were?"

"Yes, that's where I was. Can I get on with the story?"

"Sorry."

"You should be. Now where was I? Ah, yes. When Harry told me in a letter that his scar was hurting, Buckbeak and I went north, back into England. Don't worry Heather, nobody saw us. Then there was the Triwizard tournament. In that short amount of time, I used more paper sending letters to Harry and Dumbledore than I used in my entire life before that. Naturally, I was here at the end of it, when Voldemort rose and almost killed my godson."

"Hey! He didn't almost kill me! We did that Priori Incatatum thing!"

"Close enough! Dumbledore asked me and Remus to restart the Order of the Phoenix. We used my parents' house for Headquarters…"

"I thought you hated that place!"

"I do, trust me. But it's a big house, and my parents are both dead, so, it works."

"What about that house-elf of yours, Kreacher?"

"Please, if you know any way of killing a house-elf, tell me. Anyway, what Voldemort wanted was a Prophecy, which told about him and Harry. Since he couldn't very well waltz into the Ministry to get it, he made Harry get it for him."

"Ummmmmmmm…"

"Sometimes I have dreams of what's happening," Harry explained. "He tricked me and I thought he had Sirius in the Department of Mysteries. So I went there to go save him, along with some of my friends."

"Well that explains a lot."

"Yes it does. Well, Voldemort obviously sent a bunch of his Death Eaters after Harry, and the Order went after them. I was dueling with Bellatrix, and she caught me off guard and I fell into the Veil."

"Please, do tell me how you happen to be here at the moment."

"The veil was a fake. It worked sort of like a Portkey; it threw me into the Sahara but took about a month to activate and took away some of my magic. I couldn't Disapparate."

"That reminds me, how'd you fix that?"

"I had to learn all over again, which wasn't fun, believe me. And after asking Dumbledore if I could stay at Hogwarts for the year, he made up that story about me being a stray, and here I am. Any questions?"

"Yes, one. WHY DID YOU NEVER TELL ME THAT YOU WERE AN ANIMAGUS?!?!?!"

"I wanted to, I really did. But James didn't think I should, and Remus and Wormtail agreed."

"But James told Lily _he_ was an Animagus!"

"He did?! That little prat, he said he'd never told anyone! Oh well. But how come _you_ didn't tell me you were alive?!?"

"I don't know, something just told me to stay hidden, I can't explain it."

"Well, now that this is all settled, you ought to get back to your Common Room Harry, seeing as it's past curfew."

"We'll walk you there in case you happen to run into Filch."

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it. It's my fault you're here anyway; I can just say that our session was longer than planned. And Sirius, you might want to change form before you walk out of my office."

"Oh, right. Oops." He transformed and slipped out of the office, Heather and Harry following him.

"How come you didn't tell me about this before??"

"You never asked."

"Do you realize how annoying that saying is?"

"Of course, what did you expect? I learned from the best!"

"What??"

"I was such a trouble-maker that a certain group of young Gryffindor men named me an honorary Marauder."

"What house were you in?"

"Gryffindor, of course. All pranksters end up in Gryffindor." Sirius let out a bark of agreement. "Shhhhhh! You don't want to get Filch angry! We had enough of him during our schooldays, remember?"

"I'd like to hear those stories sometime."

"We can talk about them in the next 'lesson'. Monday, same time, same place."

"Cool," Harry replied as they reached the Gryffindor Tower.

"This is where we leave you. Goodnight!"

"Goodnight Professor! Goodnight Sam!" Harry walked through the portrait hole, his head swimming. His mother's twin sister, Sirius's fiancée, was alive, and, what's more, was his Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

"Hi Harry, what took you so long?" Hermione asked as he walked past, staring at the wall.

"Harry, hello? Helloooooooo! Harry? What's wrong with him?"

"I don't know, maybe learning Occlumency does that. I don't think it says anything in _Occlumency for the Progressing Wizard_ about Harry's symptoms, but I'll go check." She raced off into her own dormitory, leaving a very confused Ron.

Meanwhile, Heather and Sirius were back in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, catching up on the fifteen years they had been apart.

"Petunia's going to be horrible, she hated me as much as she hated Lily."

"Don't worry about her, she won't say anything as long as I'm around."

"Why not?"

"Because she's terrified of me, that's why not."

"That's a good reason."

"Isn't it?"

"What do you think Remus is going to say?"

"Probably something like, 'Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!', which is what I would have said if I could've spoken at the time."

"Very funny. What do you really think he'll say?"

"'What happened?? What's going on?! Heather?!?!?!?!?!?'"

"You're not mad at me, are you?" Heather asked suddenly.

"Of course not, why would I be mad at you?"

"Well, I've been living in secret for this whole time when you thought I was dead."

"And I've been living in secret this whole time while everyone thinks I'm a mass murderer. So?"

"I was just afraid you'd be upset that I never showed myself to you."

"It's okay Heather, really. I'm not angry."

"Harry won't tell anyone, will he?"

"Well, he's kept me a secret for a while, hasn't he? He'll probably tell Ron and Hermione, but that'll be it."

"Good."

"Heather?"

"Yeah?"

"Are we still engaged?"

"Of course we are."

"I hoped so." He took Heather into his arms and she laid her head on his shoulder. Unfortunately, Dumbledore chose this time to walk into the office. Seeing the two of them, he chuckled quietly and tiptoed out. The students' progress reports could wait.

**So yeah, that was just telling you a whole bunch of stuff you already knew and then throwing in some fluff. Don't worry, we won't get farther than kissing. -Shudder- How about four reviews?**


	23. Quidditch Tryouts and Midnight Strolls

**Me siento! Me siento!!!!!!!! (sorry, i've got a spanish test tomorrow). This story was intended to be updated over the weekend, but the certain author that's writing this (we really need to get KCB over here sometime) had waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many things to do. I am, however, rather touched that Rachel would go as far as to review the same chapter twice. Another boring chapter-Deal with it. Kelly makes her first appearance in this chapter! Look for her! (And she wants me to tell you that she's not that stupid in real life, just to clarify).**

**We Still don't own it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Onto chapter 23!**

Chapter 23

Quidditch Tryouts and Midnight Strolls

"Alright Harry, will you please tell us what's going on?!"

"Yeah, last night you just went up to the dormitory and when I tried to talk to you you just stared at me, and you didn't even acknowledge it when I shook you, or when Hermione dumped water on your head!"

"I'm sorry, it's just, I had a weird session with Hea-Professor Windling last night."

"How so? Did she tell you about your aunt?" Ron pressed.

"Yeah, she did." Making sure everyone was too busy eating breakfast to listen to their conversation, he continued. "Professor Windling is my aunt. That's not really the way she looks."

"It's not?!?!? Nooooooooo!!!!!! Sorry," Ron added after a confused look from Harry and an annoyed glare from Hermione.

"So Harry, Professor Windling is your mother's twin sister and Snuffles's fiancée?!"

"Yeah, that's about it."

"Wow. That's all I have to say."

"I guess this means that she's already taken?"

"Um, Ron? She's my mother's twin sister. Just think about the age difference here!"

"Oh right, oops."

"Mr. Potter, may I have a word with you?" McGonagall was walking toward the three of them, a piece of parchment in her hand.

"Sure, Professor."

"You have been elected Gryffindor's Quidditch captain."

"Really?"

"Really. I suggest you get training and hold some tryouts soon, preferably today. I would rather the trophy stay in my office once again. By the way, the rule about first years has been removed. Good day."

"Wow, good job, Harry!"

"Yeah, she's right, we ought to get the rest of the time and hold some tryouts soon!"

"Where is the rest of the team anyway? And what positions do we need to fill?"

"Well, you're the Seeker, I'm the Keeper, we've got Kirke and Sloper for Beaters, and Ginny said that she wanted to be a Chaser, so along with her, all we need are two chasers."

"Okay then. Ron, you get the rest of the team together and tell them tryouts will be held at um… three o'clock today."

"Right."

"And tell them to tell any other Gryffindors; I'll put up some notices, but some people might not see them."

"Got it."

A few hours later, a small group of Gryffindors were standing on the pitch, clutching brooms and looking nervous. Harry recognized a few of them: Dean, Seamus, Ginny, second year Euan Abercrombie, and, to his sheer disappointment, Colin Creevey. There was also a familiar looking girl who seemed to be around his age, a rather terrified first year girl, and another girl Harry didn't know at all. The rest of the team had assembled, also holding their brooms. Everyone seemed to be looking at him attentively. He glanced up at Hermione, sitting on the stands, who gave him a quick nod of encouragement. Harry cleared his throat and began.

"Well, as most of you know, I'm the Gryffindor team's captain this year. Uh, the spots we have open this year are all three chasers. So, we're going to play a mock game of Quidditch. We'll have one beater on each side, and let only one Bludger go. Ron and I will be the keepers, and all those who want to tryout for the Chasers spots, divide onto one of the teams, we should have four on each. Alright?"

There was a nod of approval as Jack and Andrew went to get the Quaffle and a Bludger. Harry took this opportunity to talk to Ron about the possible new Chasers.

"What do you think, Ron?"

"Well, I know Ginny's a good Chaser, but I really don't know anything about the others."

"Do you even know the names of those girls?"

"Yeah, I think the oldest one is Sally…Sally something, but she's in our year, that little one most be a first year, pretty sure her name's Kelly, and I think the other one's a third year, but I can't remember her name."

"Okay. Well, let's get started." He and Ron separated, Harry going towards the right. He looked around at the rest of his makeshift team to see Ginny, Colin, the third year girl, whom Harry discovered was named Natalie, Sally, and Andrew.

"Right then, mount your brooms!" he called to them as he got the Quaffle in his hand. "Three-two-one!" The Quaffle flew up, Harry sped towards the goalposts, and the Chasers scattered around the pitch. Most of them seemed to be doing a good job. Ginny was weaving through the rest of the team like a pro, and Dean seemed to be doing all right. Seamus was speeding toward him, but at the last moment dropped the Quaffle, which was immediately retrieved by Sally. Euan was hit by a Bludger, and immediately started rocketing around in circles, and crashed into Andrew in the process. Natalie took this opportunity to attempt a goal, but was blocked by Ron. Suddenly, a blur came streaking past Harry; he thought for one wild second that it was the Bludger, but it turned out to be Kelly, her broom out of control. She crashed into one of the goalposts, looking rather nauseous. Harry flew towards her.

"Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine."

"Alright, if you're sure…" No sooner had he said this than Dean came rushing past, the Quaffle in his hand, making a spectacular goal. Of course, now that the goals were unguarded it was much easier to do so, but it was still rather impressive. Kelly had raced away and gotten the Quaffle, only to drop it in shock when a Bludger flew past. Harry, shaking his head, went back to the hoops. The game went on in pretty much the same fashion for about an hour before Harry called it off, and Ron had to fly up a few hundred feet above the stands to retrieve a rather bedraggled and windblown Kelly, who had been involved in twenty other crashes since the first one, nineteen of which were her own fault.

"Well, I'd say that was pretty good," Harry remarked as they landed. The results will be posted in the common room on Monday. See you later!" He turned to face Ron and the other members of the team. "Well, now what?"

"We ought to pick some Chasers, Harry."

"I know Ron, but which ones?"

"Well," Andrew put in, "I think Ginny did pretty good."

"Yeah, and that Sally girl was a right good flier," Jack remarked.

"And I personally think that Dean was one of the best by far."

"Okay, so we're all agreed? Ginny, Sally, and Dean?" The rest of the team nodded in approval. "Okay then, let's go change."

Harry was lying in bed that night, sleeping soundly. Something suddenly interrupted his dreamless sleep and he found himself in a cold stone room. Sirius's cousin Bellatrix was kneeling at his feet, staring at the ground.

"Get up!" Harry commanded her, in a high-pitched voice not his own. "Is everything in place?"

"Yes, my Lord. We have the Black Veil in our possession, my blood-traitor cousin is dead, and that old fool Dumbledore has no idea of what is happening right under his nose."

"Excellent. So we can use the veil on Potter?"

"Yes, but we have to get him away from the retched Order first, my Liege."

"Will you and the rest of my pathetic followers be able to achieve this?"

"Don't worry, my Lord. There will be some vulnerable time for him soon, if not over the holidays, then during the summer."

"Good, you may leave. Oh, and one last thing: _crucio!_" Bellatrix screamed in pain as Harry's scar seared, he woke up, sweating and gasping for breath. He looked around in the semi-darkness at the rest of his roommates to find them all still asleep. He had to tell someone about this dream, or vision, or whatever it was. He was sure it had been real; then again, he was sure the dream of Sirius in the Department of Mysteries had been real, too. But somehow, this one seemed different. More like the dream about Avery he had had last year. Without really thinking about what he was doing, he slipped out of bed, into the Common Room, and through the portrait hole.

His first thought was, _go to Dumbledore_. He set out determinedly towards the Headmaster's office, but was cut off by Filch.

"What are you doing out of bed, boy? You know it's way past curfew."

"I- uh, just, uh…"

"It's obvious that Mr. Potter feels the rules are beneath him." Snape had turned up next to Filch. "Detention, Potter. Maybe that will show you not to-" At this point, Professor Windling entered the scene.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Harry was helping me! He has my permission to be out of bed. You see, Sam here was lost, and I enlisted Harry's help. I was just looking for him and to tell him that I found Sam." Snape looked loathingly at Professor Windling and the bear-like dog, who was now on a leash.

"Fine then," Snape stormed, and strode towards his office.

"Don't worry, my sweet. I'm sure we'll get Potter one of these days…" **(A/N-Filch is talking to Mrs. Norris, not Snape. KCB, what do you take me for???) **And with that, Filch, too, returned to his office. Heather turned to Harry and motioned for him to come with her. Once inside her office, Sirius transformed, yanking the pink leash off of his neck.

"Why on earth did you insist on putting that wretched collar on me?!" Heather ignored him and turned to Harry.

"I assume you weren't just going for a midnight stroll?"

"No, I wanted to find Dumbledore, I had another dream-thingy."

"Like the one with me?"

"No, it was different, somehow, I don't know."

"Well, what happened?"

"Voldemort was talking with your cousin, about, um, the veil. They want to use it on me sometime when I'm vulnerable…"

"In other words, sometime that you're not at Hogwarts, as the little coward is afraid to come any near Dumbledore."

"They also said something was happening right under Dumbledore's nose."

"Well, as he doesn't know what that is, none of the rest of the Order does either."

"Figures."

"We'll tell Professor Dumbledore about your dream, Harry. Get back to bed."

"I'm not tired."

"Well then, pretend Heather's giving you an assignment. It's to go back to bed."

"And what happens if I don't do the assignment?"

"I'll sick Sirius on you and give him the right to lick your face."

"Okay fine, I'm going, I'm going."

**So, the next chapter finally gets interesting! Yay! Give us three reviews and we'll update! By the way, the last chapter was supposed to say we hope you DON'T think so, sorry, i have typing issues. Review, we know you want to!**


	24. Halloween Troubles

**Well, the infamous chapter 24 at last. KCB says hi by the way. Anywho-I won't keep you in suspense any longer.**

**Oh, wait, scratch that. All we own is the plot! And Heather but she's beside the point.**

Chapter 24

Halloween Troubles

That Monday evening, Harry trudged up the stairs and into Professor Windling's office. He was greeted by Sirius bounding up to him, tackling him, pushing him to the floor, and licking his face.

"Agh, get-off, c'mon, off-Professor help!!!!!"

"Oh come here, Sam. Harry, you're a weenie, you know that, right?"

"Hey!"

"No one but me is allowed to call my godson a weenie!" Sirius had transformed and was now standing behind Harry with a look of mock outrage.

"He's my godson too, you know."

"WHAT?!?!?!?!?" the men screamed so loud that Heather cringed.

"Well, Lily trusted you, Siri. She told me that she would trust you with her life. She just wasn't sure if you were exactly the right kind of…influence that she wanted for Harry."

"So my parents made you my godmother without anyone knowing?"

"That's about it, yeah."

"Well then, if that's all taken care of, I believe you want to hear about our school days?"

"Do I?!"

"Well, why not. Should we tell him, Sirius?"

"Of course!!!"

"So, let's start with first year."

"Ahh, such happy memories..."

"Of what?" Harry asked.

"Snivellus was our favorite by far..."

"Oh yes indeed!" Sirius cried.

"I've noticed."

"It wasn't easy to keep myself a secret with him nosing around, believe me," Heather complained.

"I can imagine," Harry replied dryly.

"So can I."

"You have no idea."

"Hey, I'm the escaped convict here."

"Shut up. I have to work with him!"

"Well, I-I-oh never mind."

"Anyway, on to our good old school days..."

"So, was that first one dyeing all the teacher's hair pink during the sorting or was there one before that?"

"Isn't that when we met? The hair-dyeing I mean."

"Oh yeah, I think it is. It must've been that prank on Hagrid that James and I pulled that I'm thinking of."

"What prank on Hagrid?" Harry smirked, imagining his father and Sirius running around Hogwarts, playing tricks on everyone.

"Nothing much, we just put a bunch of bows in his hair. We didn't really know much at that point."

"Then I accidentally transfigured Remus into something between a raccoon and a dragon. But that WAS an accident."

"Me transfiguring Peter into a moose wasn't, though."

"I can't remember, it was so long ago. Let's move on."

"Didn't we conjure up a swarm of mosquitoes to chase Snivellus wherever he went?"

"Yeah, and wasn't it James who made his nose swell up to ten times its usual size?"

"Yeah, but it was _my_ idea. I just couldn't use it because I got in detention."

"Well, that was your own fault now wasn't it? Getting caught by Dumbledore. What was it you did again?"

"All I did was charm the gargoyle to say, 'Sirius Black rules!!!' every time you tried to put in the password, where's the harm in that?"

"Because Professor Dumbledore couldn't get into his office until he found you!"

"So? I gave him some exercise. All he had to do was climb up onto the roof of the astronomy tower!"

"Third year...wasn't that when you guys started Animagi transformations?"

"I thought it was second year," Harry put in.

"Oh yeah, it was at the end of second year. Poor, poor Remus. Lily and I couldn't figure out what you guys were doing."

"Well, we didn't really want you or anyone else to know, now did we?"

"Sure, but you could've trusted us. I mean, I know Lily hated James but you could've at least told me!"

"Yeah, but we were afraid you'd get really freaked out if you knew Remus was a werewolf. Didn't you used to have a crush on him?"

"I forgot all about that. I probably would've strangled him to death if I'd have found out."

"Exactly."

"Okay, so she had a crush on Remus but got engaged to you?!"

"Yes I did."

"But I'm still confused!"

"It works out that way, Harry."

"What?!"

"Deal with it Harry, some things in life are meant to be confusing. And besides, didn't you have a crush on someone you don't have a crush on anymore?" Sirius asked.

"Uh, no…not at all…"

"Yeah, uh-huh, right."

"Third year. What did we do in third year?"

"Um, didn't we start the Marauder's Map that year?"

"I don't think so, Sirius. I thought you started that after you nailed the Transformations."

"No, I'm sure we wandered around a bit in James's Invisibility Cloak."

"Oh yeah."

"And that's the year that Snivellus got a bucket of water poured on his head each time he entered his Common Room."

"It's so entertaining to see him soaking wet."

"And we washed his hair in the process."

"True, very true."

"And I think that's also the year James and I learned our animals. By the way, how are you going with your transformation, Harry?"

"Not very good."

"You're teaching him how to become an Animagus?"

"Yep."

"What animal are you?"

"A phoenix."

"A-a what?!???"

"Yeah, I was kinda surprised too, but that's what it is. Anyway, what did we do in fourth year?"

"We made that dragon in my classroom fly around the Great Hall with Snivellus on it, remember?"

"Oh, that brings back memories. And on Halloween we bewitched all the bats and pumpkins to follow him around for a month."

"Good times, good times. What about fifth year?"

"That's the year that we got our transformations down and completed the Marauder's Map."

"How'd you get it to insult people like that?" Harry asked.

"You mean it actually worked?? It never worked for us. Maybe because we were the creators. Who did it insult and what did it say?"

"It was insulting Snape," Heather and Sirius exchanged mischievous smiles. "Moony told him to keep his big nose out of other people's business, Prongs said that Snape is an ugly git, you wanted to know how an idiot like that became a Professor, and Wormtail told him to wash his hair." By the end of this account, Sirius and Heather were both on the floor laughing. Heather recovered first and pulled Sirius off the ground.

"I always thought that map was a work of pure genius."

"Why, thank you very much."

"Wasn't it me and Lily who told you what spells to use?"

"So?"

"Never mind. Onto sixth year!!"

"What did we do in sixth year anyway?"

"That was the year you told Snivellus how to get into the Whomping Willow, remember?"

"Besides that!"

"You know, I can't really think of anything else we did in that year."

"We did bewitch that lion statue to follow Snivellus around and bite him on the nose any time he said anything."

"I'd forgotten about that one. What about 7th year?"

"That was the mother of all pranks!!!!!"

"Of course, the graduation dance!!"

"There's a dance!?!?" screamed Harry, horrified.

"Yes, indeed there is."

"And it was home to Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, Prongs, and, what was your nickname again?"

"I don't think I ever had one."

"You did too, we didn't just call you Heather."

"Really?"

"Didn't it have something to do with red?"

"I have no idea."

"Well, anyway, it was home to our biggest prank. All of the Slytherins' robes turned bright pink, their hair turned pink, flowers were painted all over their faces, and then they floated up to the top of the castle and sat there for three hours!"

"Meanwhile, all of the Hufflepuffs' feet got glued to the floor, the Ravenclaws started spinning uncontrollably in circles, the teachers all turned into fluorescent purple lizards, and all of us Gryffindors became giant caterpillars."

"We couldn't have something happening to everyone else and make us look guilty. Though I will say it was rather fun to be a caterpillar for 10 minutes."

"Why only ten minutes?"

"Because the prank wore off then. We couldn't figure out how to make it last longer."

"Oh well. There's our account of our school days. Now you ought to get back to your dorm, it's getting late."

Except for some more Occlumency sessions with Heather, nothing else exciting happened until the morning of Halloween, when Harry awoke to a scream from Ron.

"What, what is it?"

"Creepy-dementors-pink…" **(A/N-Don't ask, it's a loooooooooooooooong story)**

"What?!"

"Pink-cloaked dementors…"

"Ron, _what _are you talking about?!?"

"A creepy pink-cloaked dementor! It was coming toward me, and it was pink, and freaky…so freaky…" Harry sighed and jumped out of bed. He started getting dressed as Ron was still muttering about pink dementors. Harry decided to leave Ron to his nightmare and went down to breakfast, where he found Hermione reading over her Transfiguration notes.

"What are you doing?!"

"Studying for the exams."

"But Hermione, those are ages away!"

"It's never too early to study," came the reply, and she returned to her notes. Ron came into the Great Hall at this point, and a very similar conversation ensued. Harry and Ron finally decided to give up and dug into their potatoes.

"Hermione's finally cracked, mate."

"You mean she didn't crack before?"

"Ron, be serious!"

"You already have someone to do that, don't you?"

"Ron, give it a rest, please!"

"Why?" Harry opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off by a piercing shriek from Hermione.

"What, what is it?" Hermione paid no attention to them, but was currently staring at her copy of the _Daily Prophet_. Her eyes were moving back and forth so feverishly that Harry was afraid they would pop right out of their sockets. When she was apparently done, for her eyes had stopped moving and she was staring open-mouthed at her paper, she took no notice of Ron or Harry. Ron, fed up, finally snatched the paper from Hermione's hands (she seemed not to notice this either, and now stared at the table) and he started reading the article out-loud.

Sirius Black Found at Last

Whereabouts of the Mass Murderer Known

After over three years of panic and frustration, Sirius Black has been found at last, writes _Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet reporter._ Startling new facts have been uncovered concerning the infamous murderer. A reliable key witness, who wished to remain confidential, has disclosed that Black is an illegal and unregistered Animagus, with the power to transform into a large black dog, resembling the Grim. This, of course, is a worthy analogy, as Black had caused the deaths of 13 people with a single curse. It is also known that Black, alias Sam, is currently residing in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in his Animagus form. Posing as the pet of a Professor Heather Windling, Howarts' Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, he has the resources to capture and/or murder the Boy-Who-lived, Harry Potter. It is doubtful whether Windling knows the true identity of her canine friend, but no evidence can be found to support either side of this debate. Rest assured that Ministry officials will have apprehended Black by the time you finish reading this article, and he will be taken to an undisclosed location to be administered the Kiss by one of Azkaban's remaining Dementors. The Wizarding and Muggle worlds can finally rest in peace.

Harry and Ron, horrified, looked at each other, and were about to race up to Heather's office when Ministry officials burst into the Great Hall.

"Nobody move!!" they ordered.

**Don don don!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Muahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Excitement at last! Three reviews please!**


	25. Of Trials, Dementors, and Large Bottles ...

**Well then. That was cool. Ok, not the Sirius being captured part, but the three reviews in the span of however many hours it was part. It made us feel warm and fuzzy. In answer to the how did they find him question, an anonymous tip. It's someone you know, for the record. And for all of you "remus didn't show enough emotion when Sirius died" people, you'll be happy with us.**

**Still don't own anything but Heather and the plot!**

_thoughts_

Chapter 25

Of Trials, Dementors, and Large Bottles of Firewhiskey

The talking stopped immediately. Students abandoned their breakfasts and looked up at the massive number of Aurors that had just burst through the large oak doors. "No…" Harry heard Hermione breathe next to him.

"Please remain calm, everyone," the apparent leader of the group spoke out to the confused students. "You can return to your breakfasts in a few moments. Miss Windling, will you come with us please?"

"Yes, of course," she replied with a very surprising amount of composure.

"Students, please return to your meal. You'll have your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher back soon," the same Auror told them. The doors shut closed and babbling broke out at once. Harry, Hermione, and Ron snuck out of the Great Hall without hitch, or so they thought. Someone was following them.

They flew up the stairs into Heather's office, only to find an assortment of broken desks, papers strewn on the floor, shattered ink bottles, and the all-familiar pink collar lying on the ground.

"They've already been here," Ron muttered blankly.

"But…" Harry started, unable to continue.

"C'mon," Hermione encouraged. "They may still be in the building." Down one corridor, up a staircase, through a doorway, and accidentally into a broom closet they ran, getting nowhere fast.

"Hermione, give it up, we don't know where they went," Ron panted. Harry was about to open his mouth when she held up her hand and leaned against a wall. "Hermione, what…?" Harry and Ron looked at each other, exchanged shrugs and pressed their ears to the brick.

"So you're saying you had no idea your 'pet' was a convicted murderer?"

"No, I didn't," Heather's voice drifted to them through the stone.

"Very well. You'll come with us. As for you, you pathetic bit of filth…"

"Yeah, what about me?" Harry's heart skipped a beat. Sirius!

"You're getting one and only one chance to redeem yourself. Now get over here. Worthless scum. Ministry of Magic Level 10!" A whooshing sound followed the man's voice, then nothing.

"We've got to follow them!"

"So…" Harry, Hermione, and Ron whipped around at the new voice.

"Ginny?!?"

"Will someone please explain to me, a) how Sirius is alive, b) what in the world he's doing here, and c) how we're going after them? I let Sam's appearance go, I figured it was just a freaky coincidence. Now I come to find that he's been here all along, hiding as our _Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher's dog_?!?!? Start talking!!"

"How _we're _going to follow them?" Ron demanded.

"Listen," Harry protested, "we don't have much time. Long story short, the veil was a fake and Sirius is here because he wanted to keep an eye on me. Why is it always my fault?"

"I don't know and it doesn't really matter. But Ginny's got a point, how are we getting to the Ministry of Magic?"

"Floo powder!"

"No Ron, that wouldn't work, we wouldn't be able to tell if there was anyone watching!" _Trust Hermione to be logical at a time like this, _Harry thought bleakly.

"We could go on broomsticks! Ron, Harry and I all have one, that would be enough for the four of us."

"Five, if we bring Sirius back with us," Ron corrected her.

"But someone would be bound to see us!"

"Harry could get his Invisibility cloak!"

"You have an Invisibility cloak?!? Why am I just now learning about this?!?!?!?"

"Yeah, but it won't cover all of us."

"We could bring it along, though."

"Good point. _Accio Invisibility cloak!_ Now what?" The cloak flew into Harry's hands as Hermione gasped.

"A Disillusionment charm!"

"Why didn't I think of that?!?"

"I don't know Harry, but would it work on our brooms?"

"Only one way to find out. _Accio brooms!_"

"Ron, isn't someone going to see all this stuff we're summoning going through the halls?"

"They might, yeah."

"That doesn't matter now, we've got to get to Sirius! Hermione, use a disillusionment charm already!"

"There, we're all chameleons. Now what?!?"

"Hermione, get on the back of Ron's. Ginny, you'll ride by yourself. Since I've got the fastest broom I'll go ahead of you, is that okay?" The other three nodded and mounted their respective brooms, Hermione clutching the back of Ron's robes for dear life. Harry was sorely reminded of their hippogriff ride in third year.

"Are you sure it's a good idea for us to be riding brooms through Hogwarts?"

"Sure Ginny, no one can see us anyway, we're invisible!"

"Actually Ron, we're not invisible, someone could see us if they were looking hard enough, but the bell went off a little while ago so everyone will probably be in class anyway."

"Well, that's encouraging."

"Be quiet Harry. Do you want to get to Sirius or not?" Harry gave no reply but sped ahead of them and out the doors of the castle.

* * *

Meanwhile, an extremely nervous Heather was sitting in Courtroom Ten, attempting not to bite her nails. _Oh Sirius, how can you be so stupid?!? You should have answered yes to that question!! C'mon, you know better than this!_ She contemplated all that had happened in the short time after she woke up that morning, and thought of the Minister with a feeling of pure loathing. _Bumbling idiot. If you knew, if you only knew… Oh, how I wish I could just stun you all. But no, I can't do that, can I. Sirius, c'mon, you're innocent! I know, you know, Harry and his friends know, just make the rest of the world know!!_ Fudge pulled her out of her musings with an unusually loud comment.

"You expect me to believe that Pettigrew is alive?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?"

"Yes?" Sirius replied uncertainly, obviously not very sure of himself.

_Sirius!!!! Stupid Minister, I'll show you, you worthless, filthy scum of a man, I will NOT let you hurt him! Now, regain your composure and show that power-hungry fiend how pathetically wrong he is! I could really use a bottle of firewhiskey about now. A really big bottle, yes, a big bottle of firewhiskey…_

"So, what you're saying is that James Potter, JAMES POTTER, YOU'RE SO-CALLED BEST-FRIEND DECIDED NOT TO USE YOU!?!?!?!?!?! YOU WORTHLESS VILE PIECE OF FILTH!! HOW YOU CAN SLEEP AT NIGHT IS BEYOND ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ALL OF THOSE IN FAVOR OF ADMINISTERING THE DEMENTOR'S KISS RAISE YOUR HAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Looking up from the floor at last, Heather was horrified to see all but one of the people, a young looking witch with striking blue hair, behind Fudge raise their hand.

"GUILTY!!!!!!!! YOU WILL FINALLY GET WHAT YOU DESERVE, YOU-YOU-TAKE HIM OUT OF MY SIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Looking down again, Heather never saw Sirius being forcefully lead away by two of Azkaban's few remaining Dementors, never saw the young witch wipe a tear off of her face and run out of the courtroom, never saw a certain disillusioned teenager ball his fists in rage and punch the wall, never saw the maniacal smile on Fudge's face as people grouped around him, congratulating him.

Hermione, Ron, and Ginny arrived a few minutes later to find a no longer disillusioned Harry sitting against the wall, making strange motions with his hands. After arguing amongst themselves about who would talk to him, Hermione moved forward and put a hand on his shoulder. "Harry…"

"HARRY!!!!" The four of them jumped at a man's yell, and turned to see Remus running at them. "Harry, what are you doing here?? Albus contacted me, he told me to come here, he didn't say anything else, what are you doing here by yourself?? What happened, is someone hurt???"

"First off Remus, I'm not alone, I have Ron, Ginny, and Hermione with me. And, as for what I'm doing…they…he…shouldn't…Fudge…VOLDEMORT I SWEAR I WILL KILL YOU!!!!!!!! YOU WILL PAY FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"What's he talking about???!? Is someone hurt?!? Did Voldemort attack the school?!?"

"No," Hermione spoke in a quavering voice. "No, it's not that, it's…Sirius."

"You…no…not…No…he wouldn't…but they…Dumbledore…No, you're lying."

"They aren't lying Remus, I watched the trial myself." Heather was looking with sad eyes down at Harry and Remus, and then spoke to the rest. "You might want to disillusion yourselves, I don't think it's really working."

"Who, who are you?" Remus finally managed to ask as Hermione took the spell off of her friends.

"I'm Heather, Hogwarts's Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"You, you're not…"

"Yes, I am."

"Heather, how could they do this?!??!??!?!??!??!???!?!?" Remus screamed, falling to the ground. "I already lost him once! And the other day Sirius and I got into an argument and we haven't spoken to each other since!"

"The mirror! Sirius still has the mirror!"

"No such luck Hermione, Sirius may have his mirror but I don't have mine."

"That doesn't matter anyway, they will have taken anything he had with him."

"Harry," Hermione whispered, "your invisibility cloak!!"

"Like it will cover all of us."

"No, but it will cover you, Remus, and Professor Windling."

"Well?"

"It's taking a risk, the Dementors will be able to sense us."

"Harry's Patronus can fight off any lousy Dementors, don't worry."

"Ron, I really don't think I could conjure a Patronus to save my life at the moment."

"What about saving Sirius's life?" Everyone looked over at Ginny, who had spoken for the first time since they left school.

"Harry, everyone knows your Patronus, you'd be putting yourself in huge danger!"

"Hermione, Ginny's right, I can't just sit here and do nothing!" He turned to Remus and Heather, who were looking at each other with uncertainty, and pulled the invisibility cloak out of his pocket. "So, are you coming?" Remus grabbed cloak and threw it around both of them, just as another voice cried out, "Wait!"

"Now what," Harry muttered angrily through clenched teeth, and saw blue-haired Tonks running towards them, tripping over a table, falling to the floor, and walking the rest of the way.

"You don't know where they have him, now do you?"

"Tonks, please, do you know?"

"Of course I do, Harry! Am I that evil?"

"Just show us the way! We'll follow. You won't be able to see us, so don't worry about it." Harry felt Lupin throw the cloak over him and looked back at Ginny, Ron, and Hermione.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine."

"Grab my broom and be waiting for us!"

"Harry, our three brooms won't be enough for the seven of us!"

"After I've shown them where Sirius is, I'll bring you to the Portkey office and get you one that will take you to school."

"Will you keep our brooms?"

"Yes, now let's go!" She strode off quickly down the hallway, Remus, Heather, and Harry having difficulties keeping up with her under the cloak. She finally led them down a dark hallway, and opened the door, allowing Harry and the two Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers to slip in.

"What do you want?? We're in the middle of something here!"

"I'm just looking for the Minister, have you seen him?"

"No, and he's not here!"

"Fine then, you don't need to be so rude!" Tonks slammed the door shut and the two men continued on with whatever they had been doing.

"Right then," one of them declared, "you stay here with him until I get back with the dementor." It was then that Harry noticed Sirius chained to the back wall. After making sure the first man had left, Remus took out his wand and whispered, "_Stupify!_" and the Auror slumped to the floor. Sirius was looking around the room in complete confusion as the three of them threw off the cloak and attempted to get him out of the shackles.

"What, how, but…"

"Sirius, shut up, they'll be back any second!"

"Harry, what are you doing here!?!?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?!?"

"And Sirius, if we can't get you out, I'm really sorry about that argument we had!"

"Ow!!!!!!! I can't undo these chains!"

"Neither can I!" Harry moaned.

"Stand back!"

"Moony, what are you doing????"

"Shut it Padfoot! _Diffindo, alohomora, reducto, accio, finite incantatum, reparo, engorgio, incendio, dissendium!!!_"

"Remus, you've officially tried every spell that won't work!!"

"Shhh!! They're coming!!!!!!!!!!!!! Get out of here, now!!"

"But…"

"Harry, get out!! That goes for you, too!" Remus whipped the Invisibility cloak around them and muttered, "_Ennervate!_" The guard woke up and got onto his feet, shaking his head just as the door opened and Harry felt the familiar cold sweep through his body. Remus looked at him, then nudged him, a questioning expression on his face. Harry answered by taking out his wand. Concentrating on the memory of seeing Sirius on his birthday, he muttered, "_Expecto patronum!_", but to no avail. Not even a thin silver vapor emitted from his wand.

Getting frantic as the Dementor closed in on Sirius, he tried again, still not getting any results. Once more he whispered the words, resulting in a wisp of smoke that vanished after two seconds. "No…!" he heard Heather gasp beside him.

It was too late. The Dementor was inches away from Sirius; it was moving closer; it was almost touching him. Harry was about to run out of the room when the door crashed open and someone barged in and shouted, "STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

**Gasp! Sirius no! How about four reviews this time! It shouldn't be that hard if you _really _want to know what happens, right?**


	26. 12,000 Galleons!

**Yay! Four reviews! That makes 50!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (does fun dance throughout the room). Okay, chapter 26 is rather confusing, things are explained betterin later chaps. This one is nicknamed the ahh and darn it chapter by us authors. You'll see why later. Have fun!**

**All we own are Heather and the plot**

Chapter 26

12,000 Galleons!!!!!!!

A number of things happened at once. The door was flung off its hinges and into the two Aurors, knocking them unconscious. Harry, Remus, and Heather pushed off the Invisibility cloak and the latter two attempted casting their own Patronuses, with no luck. Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Tonks ran into the room, knocked whomever it was that had smashed through the room to the floor and were staring with looks of horror on their faces at the Dementor. Said Dementor had turned for a second towards them and then back to Sirius.

The wizard that had yelled now got off the floor and bellowed his own incantation, producing a large silver ram. It charged the Dementor, pierced it with its horns, and herded it out of the room. Harry let out his breath and turned to look at the man.

It was Krum.

"Ummmmmmmm…" Heather began, gaping at Viktor.

"Would someone mind getting me out of these chains and then telling me what the heck is going on here!?!"

"Mr. Black, they haff decided to give you an appeal."

"Oh, yeah, that's going to make a world of difference."

"You apparently don't think highly of the Ministry, do you, Remus?"

"Nope. Never have, never will."

"Understandable, with that incompetent little slime ball for a Minister."

"And you, Heather, apparently don't think highly of the Minster."

"Nope."

"That's all fine and dandy, but does anyone mind getting me off the wall?!?!?"

"Good luck, we tried before, it's useless!"

"Really Harry? _Impervius!_" Tonks shouted, and the manacles fell to the floor.

"Wow. I never would have thought of that."

"Duh Ron, that's the whole point."

"Professor, what are we going to do?"

"The Ministry is so biased, Sirius will never be proven innocent!!!!!!!!!"

"Thanks for the encouragement, Harry. Just what I needed to hear right before my appeal."

"Sorry."

"You're coming with me, traitor!"

"Tonks, what the heck are you doing???????" She jabbed her wand in Sirius's face.

"Hey! That hurt!"

"Go!" she hissed and threw the Invisibility cloak at them. Harry, Remus, and Heather tossed it over them just as the whole of the Wizengamot charged into the chamber.

Fudge marched in after them. "Now what? What happened to the dementor? Why are you still alive?!?!?!?!?"

"Haven't you heard, Cornelius?" Dumbledore turned pleasantly towards the Minister. "The Wizengamot has decided to give Sirius an appeal. And for the record, one who receives the Dementor's Kiss is still alive."

"I-it-it's a figure of speech, Dumbledore! You don't want to always have to say, 'Why is your soul still in your body?' now do you?"

"Well, _minister_, I believe I am fully entitled to about 20 appeals, since you happened to throw me into Azkaban without any trial in the first place!"

"Fine! We'll give you an appeal! Now, what are _you_ doing in here?"

Krum walked over to Dumbledore and whispered something in his ear. Dumbledore's eyes widened in surprise.

"Cornelius, I need to speak to you about something that has just come to my attention." Dumbledore strolled out the door. The Wizengamot followed him, along with a flabbergasted Fudge.

"You," Fudge pointed his wand toward Tonks on his way out, "make sure he doesn't get away."

The door slammed shut behind Fudge. Tonks lowered her wand to the great relief of Sirius, who was in danger of getting his eye poked out. At the same time, Harry, Heather, and Remus came back out from the Invisibility Cloak.

"Krum, what the heck did you say to him????"

Krum walked over to Sirius and whispered something inaudible to the rest of the people in the room. Sirius looked about ready to faint when he heard what Krum had to say. He was just about to respond when a loud roar echoed from the adjoining dungeon.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?"

Harry, Heather, and Remus quickly threw on the Invisibility Cloak as Cornelius Fudge, his face blue with rage, stormed into the room.

"YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT WE SPENT THREE YEARS SEARCHING FOR YOU WHEN YOU WERE INNOCENT THE ENTIRE TIME?!?!?!? WE WASTED THREE YEARS ON SCUM LIKE YOU?!?!?!?!?"

"You know, you're starting to sound like my mother's portrait."

"This would be a good time for someone to explain this to us," Ginny interrupted.

"WHAT ARE ALL THESE CHILDREN DOING HERE?!?!?!?"

"What do you think we're doing here, cheerleading???????" Ron retorted.

"GET OUT OF HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU, BLACK, GET YOUR BUTT INTO THE COURTROOM THIS INSTANT!"

Sirius made a mad dash for the courtroom, followed equally as quickly by Fudge, Tonks, and Krum.

Harry, Remus, and Heather once again took off the Cloak. "Okay, does anyone have any clue of what's going on???"

"No idea. Krum seemed really happy about something, though."

"Okay, let's straighten out the facts here," Hermione suggested. "Sirius is about to get kissed by a Dementor. Krum comes in, whispers something to Dumbledore and Sirius, and now they decide to have an appeal out of the blue. But why????"

"Because Fudge has finally cracked," Ron concluded.

"Ron, shut up," Hermione snapped. "I wish we had a pair of Extendable Ears!"

"Well, you're in luck, because Fred and George gave me a pair in case of 'emergencies'," Ginny proclaimed. "I think this qualifies as an emergency."

"What are you waiting for? Get it out here! I want to find out what they're raving about!" Ron shouted.

Ginny pulled the Extendable Ears out of her pocket. The occupants of the chamber filed out quietly and placed one end of the extendable ears under the door of Courtroom Ten.

Fudge was questioning Sirius. "…EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE THAT?!?!?!?"

"Yeah, that's pretty much it."

"How can you prove it?"

"Uh, if you could just give me back my wand then I'd..."

"ARE YOU INSANE?!?!?!? GIVE A MAD MASS MURDERER HIS WAND?"

"Well, the general public does believe me to be insane thanks to you, but that's beside the point."

"Is this a spell that someone _else _could perform?"

"Uh, I think so…."

"Alright then. Kingsley, get up here! I cannot believe I'm doing this. Just know that if you're wrong, Black, I will personally murder you on the spot."

Ron chose this moment to sneeze loudly. They heard footsteps coming toward the courtroom door.

"Quick!" Remus whispered. "Scatter!"

The six of them ran in separate directions. Harry and Ron ran off toward the door to the Department of Mysteries and opened it without thinking. The room suddenly began to spin.

"Oh, great. Harry, why'd you have to drag us in here! Now we'll never get out!"

"Hey, you're the one who turned left."

"Fine, so I did. But how'll we get out of here?"

"Uh…"

"Okay…let's try…this door!"

"Sounds good to me."

They opened the door to their left, revealing the room with a tank full of brains.

"Okay, I am _not_ going in there again!"

"Agreed. But remember to leave the door open."

"Oops."

"Thanks a lot, Ron!"

Meanwhile, back in Courtroom Ten, Kingsley had forced Pettigrew to change form and drink Veritaserum. Sirius was watching with glee.

"…Yes, I did betray Lily and James to the Dark Lord."

"And why did you do this again?"

"Well, I was sick of always being second to Sirius and James, and I was scared of what the Dark Lord would do to me if I didn't comply."

"Oh. Well, uh, uh…HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN!?!"

"Very easily, because you, Mr. Minister, are an incompetent git."

"I'm not through with you yet! All those in favor of administering the Dementor's Kiss to Peter Pettigrew raise your hand!" The entire Wizengamot raised their hands. Sirius jumped out of his chair and attempted to run out of the Courtroom to tell the others the joyous news.

"Wait just a second, we still have one little matter to discuss!!!" Sirius turned around in apprehension. "Would you like your 12,000 Galleons to be transferred to your account at Gringotts or given to you in person?"

"Would I like my what to go where?!?!?!?!?!"

"You're 12,000 Galleons. One thousand for every year you were in Azkaban."

"Uh, in person would be…great."

Heather was still running around the Ministry, cursing herself for not following Remus. She was back on the bottom level near Courtroom Ten when she spotted a familiar looking door. Opening it, she discovered it was not in the Chamber she had intended to find, but the Department of Mysteries. The room immediately began to spin.

"Darn it!"

Just then, a door burst open and a familiar voice cried out in triumph. "See, I told you we'd been in that room twice already!"

"Alright, fine, two chocolate frogs to Ronald Bilius Weasley."

"Harry, you _know_ how much I hate my middle – oh. Hello, Professor."

"So, Ronald _Bilius_, huh?"

"See what you started?!?"

"Let's just get out of here, okay Ron?"

"Good luck."

"I personally think this door looks nice." Heather opened the door directly across from her, and walked through it. Ron and Harry followed.

"Ummm…" Ron stammered. They were in a room that apparently wasn't used very much, for it was covered in cobwebs. Giant spiders were crawling on the floor towards him, clicking their pincers menacingly.

"HARRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Ron bolted to the door and turned the knob. Nothing happened. "_ALOHOMORA_!!!!!!!!!!!!" Still, nothing happened.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

**Muahahaha! One situation resolved, another started. Four more reviews for the next chapter!!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	27. More Woes of Mrs Weasley

**Yay! We like reviews and are happy to provide you with such _fine_ entertainment. However, you will hate us at the end of this chapter, and imean HATE. So, on that note,**

**Harry Potter is still J.K. Rowling's. We wish he was ours, and if he was, Sirius would most definetly not have died, or he'd at least come back in book six. So anyway-**

Chapter 27

More Woes of Mrs. Weasley

Sirius bolted out of the Courtroom and into the side chamber with a shrunken sack full of Galleons in his pocket to announce the good news. "_GUESS WHAT_?!?!? There's no one here." So he dashed out of the room and into a wall. "Ouch." He kept running until he reached a plain black door. He opened it and the room started spinning.

"Darn it!"

* * *

"Where are they?" Hermione exclaimed, concerned. "What if they got caught? What if a Dementor got them? What if I got number seven wrong on my Potions assignment?"

"Hermione, I don't think any of those things happened," Ginny replied.

"That still leaves the question of 'where are they'!"

"Calm down, Hermione. Harry, Ron, and Heather are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves."

"Well, what about Sirius then?!?!?!? What happened to him?!?!??!?!?!?!??!??!!"

"HERM-OWN-NINNY!!!!!!!!!! MR. BLACK VAS CLEARED!!!!! HE'S CLEARED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Viktor! How do you know?"

"It vas the rat, Herm-own-ninny! The rat vas in Bulgaria and I recognized it from the story you told me about Mr. Black. So I brought it here and it vas a man, Herm-own-ninny! The man you told me about!"

"That's absolutely wonderful!!!!!!!! Where is he?!?"

"Uhh…Mr. Black or the rat?"

"Sirius!!!!!!! Where is he!?!?"

* * *

"SPIDERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'M GOING TO DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Ron, you're not going to die, just stay calm."

"You expect me to stay calm?!?!? How can I stay calm?!?!?"

"This door must be sealed somehow," Heather mused. "If we could just figure out…RON, LOOK OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Ron screamed in agony as a large black spider sank its giant fangs into his leg.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Ron immediately paled and fell to the floor.

"RON!!!!!!!!!!!" Harry yelled.

All of a sudden, Sirius heard a muffled scream, followed by a shout of "RON!!!!!!!!!!!" from Harry. It was coming from the door directly in front of him.

He burst into the room to find Harry and Heather surrounded by a large number of acromantulas, and Ron unconscious some feet away.

Sirius then bellowed the first spell he could think of, "_Incendio_!"

One of the spiders blew up. The rest turned and advanced on Sirius instead.

"Dang it! RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Heather and Harry ran out after Sirius, carrying Ron. They hurriedly slammed the door shut and leaned against it, for fear of the angry spiders knocking it off its hinges.

The room started spinning again. "Hurry! We have to get him to St. Mungo's!"

"Yeah Sirius, you're gonna just waltz into St. Mungo's with an unconscious kid and nobody will cause any trouble at all."

"Nope."

"Umm…"

"Sorry, forgot to tell you. I WAS CLEARED!!!!!!!!!"

"You were WHAT?!?!?!?"

* * *

"He got bit by an acromantula!!! HELP!!!!!!"

Harry and Heather (and Sirius, who was under the Invisibility Cloak) were trying to explain Ron's situation to the Healers at St. Mungo's. They were failing miserably.

"How does someone waltz out in public and get bitten by an acromantula?"

"It's a long story, but if he doesn't get help soon he's going to die!!!!!!!!!"

"Let's take a quick look to make sure this is serious…HOLY MACKEREL!!!!!! I NEED HEALERS OVER HERE STAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

A crowd of Healers swarmed around Ron and carried him off to a nearby room. Harry and Heather (and Sirius) sat down in some chairs waiting.

* * *

"Okay, I'm really starting to think that Dementors got them. Where are they?"

"Hermione, I'm sure they're fine," Remus consoled her.

"Oh, but I have this weird feeling, I just _know_ something is wrong!" Hermione cried.

"Fine! We'll go check St. Mungo's and see if any of them are there. Will that make you feel better?"

"Yes."

"Oh, yeah, we just walk into St. Mungo's and ask, 'I'm sorry, but you haven't admitted Sirius Black today, have you?'" Ginny muttered sarcastically.

"Oh, let's just go, please!"

"Fine!"

* * *

"I'm sorry, but you haven't admitted Heather Windling today, have you?" Hermione asked the wizard at the information desk in St. Mungo's.

"No, I'm sorry."

"Ummm…Harry Potter?"

"Nope."

"Ron Veasley?"

"Sorry."

"Told you, Hermione. They're perfectly fine," Ginny smirked. "Now let's –"

"Wait!" the Healer cried. "I _did_ admit a Ron Weasley, now that you mention it. He has a serious acromantula bite. Could be fatal."

"WHAT!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"

"Room 162 to your left."

The four of them dashed down the hallway to room 162 to find an unconscious Ron in a bed with Healers grouped together around him. Ginny stared, Hermione started sobbing, Krum tried telling Hermione that "It vill be alright", and Remus tried to console both of them, but with no effect.

A Healer stepped out of the room. "Are you relatives of Ronald Weasley?"

Ginny spoke up. "I am."

"Well, I thought you should know, it doesn't look too good. We're doing the best we can, but I'm afraid it might be too late. You all can come see him in a couple of minutes."

Hermione, Ginny, Remus, and Krum spotted Harry and Heather. Hermione sat next to them, only to be pushed off the chair.

"AAHHH!" Hermione shrieked. "What was that for, Harry?"

"Wasn't me," Harry told her. "You just sat on Snuffles."

"Oh. Sorry, Snuffles." She sat next to Heather instead.

While the seven of them waited anxiously for word of Ron's condition, Viktor explained how Sirius was cleared, since he couldn't very do it himself.

"Vell, I vas visiting some of my friends at Durmstrang ven I noticed that there vas a rat scurrying down the hallvays. Durmstrang almost never has any rats, since ve have a lot of cats in the school."

"Ooh, are they Bulgarian kneasles?? I'd just _love_ to see one, they're fascinating!"

"Uh, I do not think they are kneasles, Herm-own-ninny. Anyvay, I noticed that the rat had a bit of silver by its paw. I thought that vas strange, but then I remembered the story you told me about Peter Pettigrew. I figured that is vas him, so I stunned him and brought him to your ministry. I found your friend, Tonks, vas it?"

"Yes, Tonks. Go on," Harry prompted.

"Vell, she took me to the Vizengamot and then ve came in and saved Mr. Black. The rat said in the trial that he vas at Durmstrang to recruit Death Eaters."

"So young?" Remus asked.

"Apparently."

After five more hours of awkward silence, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley appeared.

"Is he alright? What happened? What's this fuss about an acromantula? Where's Ron?"

"It's a long story," Harry explained. "We were at the Ministry of Magic to go help Snuffles and they were going to kill him, give him the Demetor's Kiss anyway, and then they didn't so we waited by the door and then we ran away because Ron sneezed and people came and we ran into the Department of Mysteries by accident and we got lost and then we found Professor Windling and then we went into this room and there were a bunch of really big spiders and we couldn't get out and then one bit Ron and then Snuffles ran into the room and we all got out and then we came here and they wouldn't admit him but then they did and we've been here ever since, and that's what happened to Ron."

"Can you go back to the part about Snuffles getting killed? Who's Snuffles?? What on earth were you doing in the Ministry of Magic in the first place?? Why aren't you at Hogwarts where you should be?!?"

"Okay, Snuffles is, uh, well…he can't really go out in public without the whole wizarding world going into a state of panic, so I can't really say his name out loud. But, I assure you, he's a very responsible _godfather_."

"You mean…Sir – Snuffles is…_cleared_?!?!?!? But what does this have to do with Ron?"

"Well, we kind of went to the Ministry of Magic to go get him, but then we all ran out because somebody was going to see us, and we ended up in the Department of Mysteries."

"How do you know the way to the Department of Mysteries?" Mr. Weasley questioned.

"Well, we weren't really trying to get in there in the first place."

"This is so confusing. How did they find out about Snuffles, anyway?"

"How should I know??"

"So pretty much if it weren't for Snuffles we wouldn't even be here?"

"Well, it wasn't his fault!" Harry protested.

"You mean to tell me that it's all because of your godfather that my son is in intensive care?!? OUCH!!!!!!!!!" Sirius had kicked Mrs. Weasley in the shin.

"Well, if it wasn't for him, both me and Professor Windling would _also_ be in intensive care."

"I-it-uh-fine."

"You know, I think I'll go get us some snacks. Anyone want something?"

"No, Remus, I think we're all fine."

"Right. I'll be going."

"What-what about…"

"Vell, Mrs. Veasley, your son has survived a lot of things. I think he vill be fine."

"But what if he's not fine?!?!?!?!?!? If anything serious happens I will personally hex Snuffles into oblivion! OUCH!!!!!!!!" Sirius kicked her again. "WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!?"

"Ummm, you may not have realized that the person you're talking about hexing into oblivion is sitting in that empty chair right next to you," Hermione pointed out.

"Great. Just great." Mrs. Weasley began to cry.

"Don't worry, Molly. Ron's going to be alright."

At that moment, a Healer came out of Ron's room. She had a grim expression on her face. "I'm sorry…"

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	28. Lots of Questions and Flashbacks

**Told you you'd all hate us. Sigh. Anywho, this is THE LONGEST THING WE HAVE EVER WRITTEN!!! We were experimenting with flashbacks and there are three of them in here, as the title suggests. Oh, and we get another person in here that we own!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**HEATHER AND BRIDGET ARE ALL WE OWN!!**

Chapter 28

Lots of Questions and Flashbacks

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" Hermione and Mrs. Weasley ran into the room, closely followed by Mr. Weasley. Harry stared in disbelief, Krum fidgeted uncomfortably, Heather fainted, and Sirius sat there with his eyes closed.

Ron was lying still on the bed, his eyes shut and his face as pale as the sheets.

"RON!!!!!!!! I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Hermione flung herself onto the bed and sobbed into his chest.

Ron opened his eyes. "Really?"

Hermione looked up at him. "RON!!!!!!!!!" She slapped him across the face. "You scared me! I thought you were dead!!!!!!!!!"

"So did I."

"Ronnie?" Mrs. Weasley spluttered. She fainted into Mr. Weasley's arms, knocking him to the ground. He dragged her out of the room to give her some air.

"Hermione…do you really love me?"

Harry dashed into the room. "Uhhhhhhhhh…did I come at a bad time?"

"Harry! How come you didn't get attacked by acromantulas? What happened to Professor Windling?"

"Well, we're both fine because Snuffles came in just as you got bitten."

"What time is it?"

"It's 2:00 in the morning. You've been here for five-and-a-half hours," Harry replied. "I'm going to go tell Sirius that you're okay. I'll be back." He walked out of the room and shut the door.

"So, Hermione. _Do_ you really love me?"

"I…oh, Ron, of course I do!" She began sobbing again.

Remus chose this moment to walk into the room. "Uhhhhhhhhhh…I'll be going now." He backed out quietly and closed the door.

"So…then what…was this whole…thing about Prof…essor Windling?"

"I thought it would make you jealous. OW!" She slapped him again.

"You didn't have to do that!"

"But what about Vicky then?"

"DON'T CALL HIM VICKY!!!!!!!!!!" She slapped him once more.

"OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!"

* * *

"Snuffles?" Harry was conducting a mad search of St. Mungo's for Sirius, who had gone missing – again. 

As he walked through the hospital, he heard loud voices from a nearby room. He stopped to listen.

"…INNOCENT!?!?!?! THE DAY SIRIUS BLACK IS INNOCENT IS THE DAY THE MINISTRY LET'S YOU BREED BASILISKS!!!!!!!"

"And, what's this nonsense about Peter Pettigrew being alive? He's dead!"

"Fudge has finally lost it!! Maybe we'll get a new Minister now…"

Harry walked on, losing hope of finding Sirius. He came across an abandoned _Prophet _and started to read it.

**SIRIUS BLACK PROVEN INNOCENT**

PETER PETTIGREW FOUND ALIVE AND GUILTY

Yesterday morning, Ministry officials arrested Sirius Black, known for the past fifteen years to be a mass murderer. Convicted of the deaths of his friend, Peter Pettigrew, along with twelve innocent Muggle bystanders, there was no doubt that Black was guilty and deserved to be handed straight back to any Dementor that Azkaban happens to have left, right? WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!

In a surprising appeal yesterday afternoon, Sirius Black was found innocent of all crimes. How, you ask? By the testimony of the 'dead' Pettigrew, of course.

As Black was about to receive the Dementor's Kiss, Bulgarian Quidditch hero Viktor Krum ran through the hallways, shouting to 'Vizengamot' members that he had captured Pettigrew. It is thanks to him that Black was saved from a cruel fate, which he didn't deserve.

"So, like the article, do you?" a familiar voice whispered in Harry's ear.

"Sirius!!! Er-Snuffles! Where'd you go?!?"

"I went to get a platter full of chicken. Hey, I was hungry!"

"Ron's alright. Can I have a piece of chicken?"

"Too late."

"How'd you get chicken anyway? They'd still be afraid of you, wouldn't they?" Harry asked.

"Exactly! That's why I _stole_ it."

"Sooner or later this'll all die down and you'll be able to buy chicken like a normal person."

"Where's the fun in that? And since when have I been a normal person?"

"Well, the fun in that is that you won't have to stay in you Animagus form in Hogwarts any more."

"What will I do at Hogwarts now?"

"How should I know? Let's go back to see Ron."

* * *

"How bad is the bite anyway, Hermione?" 

"I don't know, I never – EEEEK! It's all purple!"

"How am I going to be able to play Quidditch with a purple leg?"

"QUIDDITCH???? You're worried about Quidditch? YOU JUST GOT BITTEN BY AN ACROMANTULA, ALMOST DIED, AND LEARNED THAT I LOVE YOU AND YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT QUIDDITCH?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?"

"Hermione loves Ron??? Oooooh, Hermione and Ron, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-"

"SIRIUS?????????? DO YOU MIND????????????????????????????????"

"Actually, yes, I do. All I wanted to do is see how Ron was!"

"Well, too bad! Leave!!!!!" Hermione cried.

"Well, that's not very nice of you!"

"SIRIUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Fine, I'm going, I'm going." Sirius turned to leave just as a Healer walked into the room. She stepped on the Invisibility Cloak, which slipped off of Sirius.

They stared at each other for a couple of seconds. Then the Healer started screaming. "HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SIRIUS BLACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HE'S GOING TO KILL ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Hey," Sirius inquired, "weren't you in my Care of Magical Creatures class in 4th year?"

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

A group of Healers rushed into Ron's room. Half of them, knowing that Sirius was innocent were eying him up with suspicion, but at the same time trying to keep the other Healers from strangling Sirius. The other half _was_ trying to strangle Sirius. Harry and Hermione were attempting to calm the Healer that had seen Sirius first and failing miserably. Mr. Weasley, carrying the unconscious Heather, and the rest of the Weasleys came in at that point.

Mr. Weasley, trying to get everyone's attention, bellowed, "_SILENCIO_!"

Everyone in the room immediately stopped whatever they were doing, mostly because they had discovered that they could no longer speak. They turned and faced Mr. Weasley.

"Look, I have a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ with me. Here, read it!"

The Healers gathered around him and began to read. They occasionally looked up at Sirius as if he were about to curse them. Sirius was staring at the ceiling and attempting to whistle.

"Any questions?"

Sirius raised his hand. Mr. Weasley took the Silencing charm off of him.

"Can I have some more chicken?"

Harry raised his hand. Mr. Weasley took the Silencing charm off of him also.

"If he gets chicken, then so do I!"

"Any more questions before I go to Merlin's House of Chicken?"

Every one of the Healers raised their hands.

"I give up. Sirius, answer their questions while I go get the chicken." Mr. Weasley took the Silencing charm off of the Healers and left. They immediately started asking various questions, ranging from, "You expect me to believe that?!?" to "What kind of idiot is our Minister?!?"

After half-an-hour of questions, Sirius and Harry finally got to eat their chicken. Sirius was talking to Ron's Healer, whose name was Bridget. She'd gone to school with the Marauders and Heather, who was still unconscious.

"You know Sirius, maybe you should wake her up."

"Yeah Harry, you're probably right." He conjured up a bucket of water, which he then poured onto her head. Heather immediately bolted up, gasped, and cried, "Sirius Black you little BRIDGET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The two of them rushed over and hugged one another, laughing and crying at the same time.

"Heather, I thought you were dead!!!!!"

"I thought you hated me!!!"

"Well, I knew you hated me."

"Sirius, do you mind? This is a private conversation."

"Don't worry, just pretend I'm not here."

"That's a bit difficult. Go talk to Harry or something," Heather suggested.

"Fine, I can tell when I'm not wanted."

"Yes, but you seldom use this amazing ability."

"I get the picture Heather." Sirius got up to go chat with Harry, Ron, and Hermione as Heather and Bridget caught up on everything they'd missed. However, he came back a few minutes later, with Harry and Hermione.

"We were just wondering why you hated each other."

"Sirius, when I told you to go ask I was just kidding!" Harry shouted.

"Yes, this is a private matter!"

"It's alright Hermione. Bridget and I just got into an argument a few weeks before I was 'killed' and haven't spoken to each other since."

"And what was this argument about?"

FLASHBACK 

"Oh, Heather, I just had a great time with Remus! He is so sweet, and considerate. He's a real gentleman, unlike someone I could be mentioning."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, my fiancé isn't at all up to the wonderfully high standards of Bridget deGrasse."

"Well, come on! He was constantly pranking us Ravenclaws back in Hogwarts-"

"He was pranking _everyone_ in Hogwarts!"

"Exactly! And has he ever opened a door for you?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, he has."

"Well, has he ever paid for your dinner?"

"He doesn't let me pay for anything, thank you very much."

"You're just sore because I stole your crush!"

"Bridget, I haven't had a crush on Remus since third year!"

"Yeah right! Then why are you always so nervous and upset whenever we go out?!?"

"Bridget…."

"You're just a big proud, obnoxious, arrogant Gryffindor like that stuck-up James Potter and your stupid little Siri!"

"James and Sirius are not stuck-up, and neither am I! There's just something about Remus-"

"See! There you go again!"

"No! It's not about that! There's something you should know about Remus!"

"Yeah? Like what?!?"

"I can't tell you!"

"You're just jealous of my boyfriend!"

"WHAT?!?!?"

"Everyone knows that Sirius Black is gonna be a Death Eater!"

"Sirius would never be a Death Eater!"

"Of course he would! Just look at how he acts! Remember that time in 6th year, when he told Severus Snape something and Snape came away from it like he'd almost died?!? Sirius did that! Is that who you want to be married to!?!?"

"Since he'll never be a Death Eater I'll never have to worry about it!"

"But what if he does become a Death Eater, huh? What will you do then?!?"

"I DON'T KNOW!!!"

"Maybe if you'd listened to me and the rest of the Ravenclaws you wouldn't be in that position!"

"Maybe I don't want to listen to you!"

"Fine then, wretch!!"

"See if I ask you to be in my wedding!"

"I wouldn't go to your wedding if my life depended on it!"

_END FLASHBACK_

"You know Sirius, I really can't remember what that argument was about."

"Pity. I always love a good catfight. OW! What did you put in that pillow?!?"

"It's just a regular, normal pillow, Sirius. However, this one isn't!"

"Now, now, as a Healer, I disapprove of any kind of fights and will not allow them a room of my patient. However, since it's now three in the morning, the hallway is perfectly fine. HEY! I never said _I _wanted to join in!"

"Now you did!" Heather and Sirius dragged Bridget out of the room, Harry and Hermione following, arms loaded with pillows. Once they had all been distributed, the five of them went wild, smacking each other so hard that stuffing from the pillows soon littered the floor.

"Well, Cherry Sprite, that was the most fun I've had in years," Bridget gasped.

"CHERRY SPRITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Sirius, are you feeling okay?" Heather asked.

"IT'S CHERRY SPRITE!!!!!!!!!! THAT WAS YOU'RE NICKNAME!!!!!!!!!"

"Oh yeah, it was."

"I knew it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

* * *

"Um, where I am?" Remus was currently wandering the corridors of St. Mungo's. "I know I'm not on the right floor. And I'm sure I've seen that hallway before. Then again, they all look the same." Not looking where he was going, he suddenly tripped on something and fell down a flight of stairs. Bruised and annoyed, he was about to investigate what hit him, literally, when that something fell and hit him on the head. 

"OW! My wand! I wandered where I dropped that!" Remus was cut off by a loud yell from Sirius that sounded something like "fairy bite." "Oh, great. Well, at least I know where I am now."

He dashed down the corridor only to find Sirius, Heather, Harry, Hermione, and a strange woman in Healer robes covered in feathers and holding pillowcases.

"What are you doing?!? Sirius, what are you doing out in plain sight? Why are there feathers all over the place?? What's so funny?!? What's go-go…ung…h-hi." Bridget had turned to face Remus.

"Oh, um, hi. How…how are you?"

"I-I, uh…so. You're a Healer now?"

"Yeah…yeah…I…uh…finished my training awhile…ago."

"Oh. That's…uh, great." They continued to stare at each other as if in a trance.

"Uh, maybe we should leave," Hermione cut in. "C'mon, people." The others followed (still covered in feathers) and retreated into Ron's room, where laughter immediately broke out.

"So…"

"It's been so long…I…" Remus broke off in midsentence and began staring at the floor.

"So…how are things since…you know…"

_FLASHBACK_

"Um, Bridget?"

"Yes, Remus?"

"Well…uh…I have to tell you something."

"Okay…"

"It's just that I-"

"You what?"

"I-I can't marry you."

"Why not?" Bridget asked after a stunned silence.

"Well, uh, you know how you've always wanted to have a romantic dinner in the light of the full moon?"

"Yes, I always thought it would be so beautiful!"

"It would! And I've always wanted to be able to do it, but, the thing is…it wouldn't be…uh, very…romantic."

"Well, why not? The full moon is always so, so serene!"

"Somehow, I find it…painful."

"Um, okay…so are you going to explain?"

"I, uh…well, you see, uh…I'm a…"

"Well, did something tragic happen that you're reminded of?"

"Um…yeah, I guess you could say that."

"Well, what does that have to do with not marrying me?!?"

_END FLASHBACK_

"Well, nothing's really changed, if that's what you mean."

"Well, I heard they came up with that potion…thing."

"Yeah, and it…helps, but not totally."

"Oh, well…um…well…ung…"

Just then, Sirius walked back out of Ron's room, featherless. "So, Bridget…Remus…we're having a sort of reunion party in here. It's not complete without you two so GET IN HERE!!!!!"

"In a minute, Sirius."

"What now?" he complained.

"We're having a moment!"

"We are?"

"Of what??? Oh! Oh…I see…yeah, I get it…"

"No, not like that!"

"Whatever it is, it can wait until after the party. Now GET YOUR BUTTS IN HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Okay…a party in a _hospital room??? MY hospital room???????_"

"Why not?" Sirius dragged the pair of them into the room and threw them onto the floor.

"OW!!" Remus yelled, rubbing his head.

"You're not serious!" Bridget retorted.

"No, I believe that's my job, thank you very much. Now get up, both of you, and join the party!" At this point, Bridget picked up another pillow and whacked Sirius in the face with it, causing him to fall to the floor as well. "Ow!! Hey, you're right, that does hurt!"

"Men," Bridget sighed as she got up and went to talk to Heather, Hermione, and Ginny. They were soon overcome with giggles, and Ginny was on the floor laughing her head off.

"Do you think I even want to know?"

"No, Sirius, you don't. I, however, would like to know how Heather is suddenly alive."

"Uh, maybe we'll let her explain that. Oy, Heather!" She and the rest of the women, still fighting fits of laughter, came over to Sirius and Remus, along with Harry and Ron, who could now stand. "Remus would like you to explain how you're here at the moment."

"Yes, all I ever knew was that Lily called us over one night and told us you were dead!"

"Well…"

FLASHBACK 

"Mum! I haven't seen you in such a long time!"

"Oh, my, how you've grown up! Come in, supper's almost ready."

"Dad!"

"Hello Heather! How have you been?"

"Just wonderful!"

"That's good. How are Lily and little Harry doing?"

"Fine, as far as I know. Which reminds me-I have something to tell you."

"Well, go ahead. Paula, come in here."

"Yes?"

"I…well…I…I'm getting married," Heather stammered.

"Oh that's wonderful! I always knew you and Sirius would get together!"

"Yeah, I-wait a second Mum, how do you know it's Sirius?"

"I've seen that look before. When you brought all of your wizard friends over that one day, you just couldn't help yourself. I knew it."

"So, you're okay with me marrying Sirius?"

"Well, of course dear! Sure, he's a little rowdy and mischievous, but so are you!"

"No offense dear."

"None taken, dad."

"You two make such a great couple. So, do you think Harry'll have a playmate?"

"Mum!!"

"Oh, don't worry about her. It's nice that you're marrying a wizard, not one of us…what do you call us?"

"Muggles?"

"Yes, muggles. That way, you won't have to worry about using your magic."

"Now come on, honey, dinner's getting cold."

The three of them sat down to a three-course meal, prepared by Mrs. Evans. "It's so nice just to be able to have a conversation without interruption for once," Paula sighed.

"I agree," Heather replied. "I just wonder how Petunia's going to take this."

"What, dear? Take what?" Mrs. Evans asked.

"Me getting married. You remember what happened when Lily and James announced their engagement, don't you?"

"Oh, she'll be fine. We'll make sure of it, don't you worry."

"By the way, the food's delicious, mum."

"Why, thank you."

Heather picked up her plate and was about to get another helping of potatoes when she saw a dark shadow move outside the window.

"What was that?"

"What was what, dear?"

"I saw a shadow outside, but it's gone now. Must've been an animal." She ate her potatoes and went into the kitchen to help her mother with the dishes. As she was drying the last plate, she looked up and saw something that caused the dish to fall to the floor.

A crowd of Death Eaters had surrounded the house.

"Heather, dear what are you staring-what's going on?"

"Mum, get dad and meet me in the sitting room."

"Why? Who are those people, what's going on?"

"Just do it."

"A-alright dear-AH!!!!!!" A window shattered from a curse as Heather pushed her mother to the floor.

"GO!!!!"

"Jonathon, Heather wants us to-JONATHON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jon, are you alright??? You look green! Jon, say something! JON!!!!!!!!!!"

"Mum, look out!!!" Heather stared in horror as both of her parents lay on the floor, victims of the Killing Curse. "No, no, this is not happening!!!! Gotta call Lily!" She grabbed a handful of floo powder and screamed, "Number 102 Godric's Hollow!"

"Heather, what's wrong, you look terrible! Is everything alright?"

"No! Lily, Death Eaters are here, they've kill-AH!!!!!!!" She was thrown out of the fireplace and into a wall.

"Heather?? HEATHER!!!!!!!! James, Heather's in trouble!!!!!!!"

* * *

"So, little mudblood." 

"Malfoy!"

"Yes, big bad Malfoy, come to blow you to bits like the dirty little worm you are. And look, I've brought your boyfriend's cousin with me!"

"You little-"

"Now, now, don't get testy. The Dark Lord might find you useful for something, like, say, luring my dear bloodtraitor cousin, and in-turn, luring the Potter's. So, basically, you'll be the cause of so many deaths you'll wish you were dead in the first place! Now hold still, little wretch, this won't hurt a bit!!!!!!!"

"You're right, it won't. _Diffindo incendio reducto petrificus totalus wingardium leviosa protego stupefy_! One down, one to go."

"I doubt you'll catch me, little mudblood," Bellatrix taunted.

"You're right. _Obliviate_!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Bellatrix screamed and was hit by the spell. She stood in a trance for a second, giving Heather time to Apparate upstairs, grab a few essentials, and Disapparate to the very last place anyone would think to go-Hawaii.

Bellatrix shook her head and undid the spells Heather had put on Malfoy. "Our work here is done, they're all dead."

"Good. Destroy the house, shoot up the Dark Mark and let's get out of here before her wretched sister and Dumbledore's Order shows up."

"_Morsmordre!_ Now let's go." A second later, Lily and James fell out of the fireplace.

"No…"

"Lily, I…"

"All of them…"

"Lily, look out!" James pushed her back into the fireplace and into their own sofa just as the ceiling caved in. "We ought to tell the others." Lily nodded and threw some more powder into the flames. "I'll do it. Sirius!!" James called.

"Yeah, James?"

"Get over here now."

"Okay."

Soon afterwards, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and Bridget were sitting in the Potter's kitchen. "Okay, what is this about?" James opened his mouth, but his wife cut him off.

"It's about my sister."

"That wretch! What about her, did she get stuck in a doorway because her head's too big to fit?"

"Bridget, please, this is NOT the time."

"And why not?!?"

"Well, Heather fire-called me a few minutes ago. She sounded really frightened. So James and I went over there."

"And what happened? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Sirius, just let her get on with it."

"She-she's dead." A stunned silence followed. Sirius started laughing.

"Sirius, what on earth is so funny?!?!?"

"That joke!!!! Lily, you really should have used that one on April Fool's day!"

"Sirius, it wasn't a joke. She's dead."

"As in…."

"She's gone. She's not coming back. She's dead." Lily repeated. Remus fidgeted uncomfortably, Peter looked out the window, Bridget ran sobbing from the room, and Sirius hadn't moved.

"Sirius, are you alright?" James asked.

"Yeah-yeah, just…just fine."

END FLASHBACK 

"I used a few spells, modified Bellatrix's memory, nothing special."

"And you didn't show yourself because…" Heather shrugged. "Whatever. Now that it's…" Remus glanced at the clock "Six in the morning, I suggest you go to bed."

"We don't have to go to school tomorrow?"

"You mean today, Ron?" Hermione smirked.

"Whatever."

"I'll write you a pass."

"YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Brilliant! No potions!!!!!!!!" Harry cried. And with that, he, Hermione, and Ron, instantly fell asleep.

**There! Dude that thing's long. Oh well. I hope you don't all hate us anymore. And the next chapter's kinda boring, but give us five reviews for it anyway.**


	29. Some Fluff and an Interesting Feast

_Hello! This is KCB. I'm officially taking over intros for the time-being  
_**With my help-I was getting lonely!  
**_If you don't like me, then the feeling is mutual (In other words, i don't like you either). But, if you like me despite my insanity, GREAT!!!  
_**Everyone's insane in their own special way.  
**_Anyway, here's chapter 29. I know-it's mushy. Mushy just happens to be my friend Abby's (she's reading this right now. Hi Abby!) favorite word. Why did i just say that? I don't know.  
_**I don't know either.  
**_But it's father-son stuff, not slash. WE DON'T WRITE SLASH!!  
_**You stole my line!  
**_Sorry. Whatever. Just read it!  
_**Someone forgot the disclaimer!!!! WE DON'T OWN THE CHARACTERS, JUST THE PLOT!  
**_And Heather.  
_**And Heather.**  
_And Bridget.  
_**And Bridget. So anywho!!**

Chapter 29

Some Fluff and an Interesting Feast

"Oh, Harry!" Harry groaned and rolled over, trying to block out Sirius's voice. "Hey, Harry! Wake up, sleeping beauty!"

"Just five more minutes…"

"You had your five more minutes two hours ago! C'mon, get up, you lazy bum." Harry simply groaned again and buried his head under the pillow.

"Move over Sirius. I work at a hospital, I know how to wake people up."Bridget conjured something in her hand and cast a Sonorus charm on it; it immediately starting ringing loud enough to wake the dead. Harry screamed, seemed to jump a foot in the air, and then fell onto the floor.

"Good, you're up! What was that thing?"

"Um, it's called an alarm clock."

"Wow! Muggles actually came up with something useful!"

"Sirius, have you ever seen a TV?"

"Have I ever seen a what now?"

"A television."

"Or a computer?" Harry put in.

"No, can't say I have."

"Take a look at those before you judge Muggles' inventions. Anyway, I ought to get back to St. Mungo's. Tell Heather I said goodbye."

"Will do."

_Wait a second, St. Mungo's? _Harry thought. Suddenly, everything came back-the trial, Ron's spider bite, Bridget…

"Sirius! You're cleared!!!!!!!"

"Um, Harry, I thought we established that fact. Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Good…" Sirius was looking at him apprehensively. "Oh, wait, I don't think I ever told you, I'm rich now!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Good old _Minister_ Fudge decided that I deserved some sort of payment for all of this."

"And?"

"And I am now the proud owner of 12,000 galleons."

"Well that's good-wait a second, did I hear you right?"

"That depends, what do you think I said?"

"Something about 12,000 galleons."

"Yep, you heard me right."

"Twelve-twelve-thousand-wasthatbecausetheministerisjuststupidorinsanethat'salotofmoneyandIshouldknowbecausemyparentsleftmealotofmoneyb utthatmustbetwiceasmuchasIhaveandyouhadalottobeginwithanywayaren'ttheBlacksoneoftherichestwizardfamiliesplust welvethousandwowthat'salotofmoney."

"Come again?"

"That's a lot of money."

"Yes, it is."

"Wait a second, where am I?"

"Heather's office. And before you say anything, we sound-proofed it."

"What about Ron? And Hermione?"

"Well, Ron's in the hospital wing but Madam Pomfrey says, reluctantly, I might add, that he'll be able to leave tomorrow, and Hermione was up three hours ago. She said some crazy thing about _studying_," Sirius shuddered.

"Krum?"

"Back in Bulgaria."

"And Professor Windling-Evans-Aunt Heather, what do I call her?"

"I'd stick with Professor Windling for now, and she's been teaching."

"Teaching?!?"

"Yes Harry, that's normally what professors do…"

"But she was up all night!"

"Might I remind you that I was too?"

"So!?! It's not like you have to tell a bunch of kids how to use spells!"

"Yeah, but that always was a talent of Heather's. She could party for forty-eight hours straight and still be her normal self the next day."

"Wow."

"Yeah, I know. James and I were always jealous of that ability. Trust me, the teachers DON'T like it if they can tell you've been up all night. Something about studies being more important than Quidditch or some strange, foreign idea like that. And speaking of Quidditch, you do realize that you've got a game against Ravenclaw tomorrow, right?"

"I what?!?!?"

"This is news to you, isn't it?" **(A/N-If you don't want to read the angsty fluff stop here and start back at the divider.)**

"Well, since someone I know happened to get himself dragged to the Ministry of Magic and almost killed I kind of forgot about that."

"As glad as I am that you all went over to the Ministry to get me, was it really that important to make you forget about Quidditch?"

"Of course it was that important!!" Sirius looked startled at his godson, but Harry continued. "I don't realize that you even exist until I'm thirteen, and then you have to go into hiding. You come back to England because of my stupid scar, you live in a cave and eat rats for me, and just so you could be close to me. Then you run into the Ministry and almost get yourself killed because I was being stupid, you come back, and then you get dragged away again?!? OF COURSE IT'S MORE IMPORTANT THAN QUIDDITCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Without realizing it, Harry was standing up, shouting at Sirius.

"Harry, I-"

"It's because of me that you're here in the first place! It was because of me that you went to the Ministry that night! It's because of me-"

"That I got out of Azkaban!"

"Well, good for me, I was mentioned in the paper. It's the only thing I'm good at, getting an article in the _Daily Prophet_."

"Harry!" Sirius took him by the shoulders and shook him roughly. "Listen to me. I'm _supposed_ to protect you; I'm your godfather! It's my job! And getting into the paper is not the only thing you're good at! You got on the Quidditch team as a first year! You've faced Voldemort, how many times?"

"Five."

"You've faced Voldemort five times and came out of all of them alive! Isn't that something you're good at?"

"Yeah, but…"

"And what about those Dementors? Powerful, grown wizards can't cast a Patronus that can beat yours!"

"I, I just-"

"Harry, you can't blame yourself for all of this! I promised your parents that I would take care of you, and that's what I intend to do!"

"Even if it means putting yourself in danger?"

"Of course! You'd do the same for me!"

"I never-"

"Knowing that you'd have to face Voldemort, you went to the Ministry of Magic when you thought I was in danger. You go after me, facing expulsion and possible imprisonment so you can help me! I'd call that something!"

"I was just afraid I'd lose you again." Both of them stood their ground for a few minutes, Harry staring at the floor and Sirius gazing out the window.

"Oh, get over here, you!" Before he realized what was happening, Harry found himself wrapped in a tight embrace. "You know, Harry, you still haven't told me about that Basilisk."

"Sirius, I-I love you."

"I love you too, Harry." Another period of silence followed, during which Harry's arms somehow got themselves around Sirius's shoulders.

"So, do you really want to hear the Basilisk story?"

* * *

An impromptu feast followed that night, apparently to make up for the cancelled Halloween feast the night before, although the Great Hall was not decked out in pumpkins and bats. Harry sat with Hermione and Ginny, all avoiding the question of, "Where were you?!?" from their fellow Gryffindors. Sirius was currently in Heather's office, rather annoyed that he couldn't go to the feast. Dumbledore had promised that he would tell the school of Sirius's innocence, but how to approach that topic was a different story. Hermione suddenly nudged Harry, and pointed up at the Headmaster, who had risen from his seat and was about to speak. 

"May I have your attention, please? As you all know, Sirius Black was discovered in the school yesterday. He was then taken into custody by aurors and is-" The doors to the Great Hall suddenly burst open.

"Hey!!" Harry, placing a voice with a face, buried his head in his hands as Ginny and Hermione tried, unsuccessfully, to keep from laughing.

"And is-here." A large group of first and second year students immediately ran to Dumbledore and hid behind him, a few braver students chancing occasional looks at Sirius from their hiding place. One terrified Ravenclaw first year who had stayed in her seat stood up, and was pointing her wand at Sirius, trying to keep not from fainting.

"Pe-petrificiculus tatlious!" However, she not only mispronounced the spell, but was also holding her wand backwards; as a result, she fell to the ground and had turned herself an electric blue. **(A/N-Yes, that little electric blue ravenclaw is Emmerdoodles.)**Sirius, as if nothing had happened, began to stroll between the tables, making occasional comments.

"Hey Susan, still think I'm cute?" "You look familiar, have I ever pranked your parents?" "Nice hat." "So, Malfoy, how's your father?" "You do realize you've had your fork halfway between the table and your mouth for the past five minutes, right?" "Poor little Ravenclaw. I think I can fix it, move over kiddies. No, that's not right, what is that spell again? Oh well, plaid suits you." "Hey, Harry, how're you doing?"

"Just great, Sirius."

""Wonderful." He walked up to Dumbledore and put his elbow up on the headmaster's shoulder. The students that had been hiding behind Dumbledore now screamed, scattered, and ran out of the Great Hall.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Sirius Black. He is NOT a mass murderer; would those of you who received the _Daily Prophet_ please fill everyone in? Anyway, Mr. Black will be staying with us for the remainder of the school year. I would ask you not to stare at him, scream and run away when he comes near you, etcetera. Oh, and by the way, he will also be your Quidditch commentator and co-Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher."

"I will be _what_!??!?"

"Good evening." With that, the majority of the students, that is, almost everyone, scurried out of the hall as fast as they possibly could. Harry, Hermione, and Ginny walked up to Dumbledore.

"I really don't remember you telling me _anything_ about _teaching, HEADMASTER_!!!!!!!! I'm okay with the whole commentator bit, but really, _me_, a _teacher_?!?!? Are you _MAD_?!?!?!?"

"You always said you wanted to be useful, Sirius."

"By useful, I kind of meant dueling Death Eaters, not being a professor!!!!!! I spent my entire childhood making fun of teachers, you really think I want to be one!??!"

"Well, your fiancée happens to be a professor."

"I-well, um..."

"Yes, Sirius, _dear_, what's wrong with being a teacher?"

"Nothing, except for the fact that, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not really teaching material."

"Um, Mr. Black?" Sirius started and turned around to face Neville. "How, um, well, you, kind of…" Harry, realizing where this was going, stepped in.

"That veil was fake, Neville."

"Ooohhhhh, okay. Good luck tomorrow, Harry, Ginny." With that, he too turned and left.

"I hate to admit it, Dumbledore, but Sirius has a point. Can you really picture him teaching?" Heather asked.

"He knows much about the Dark Arts and is excellent in dueling. I stand by my decision. Goodnight." He walked out of the Hall, leaving Ginny, Hermione, Harry, Heather, and Sirius standing at the staff table.

"Um…" Hermione started.

"How did that just happen?"

"Well, Sirius, Dumbledore was talking, you interrupted, and he decided to get back at you. See you in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom Monday morning at seven."

"Seven?!?"

"Oh, you're right."

"Good, I was afraid-"

"Better make it six-thirty."

"Si-si-"

"Have fun commentating tomorrow. And good luck both of you." She also walked out of Hall.

"Dumbledore honestly thinks I'll be a good teacher??"

"I think he lost it."

"Ginny, Dumbledore is a very respected wizard! I highly doubt that he's lost it," Hermione chided.

"You know, Sirius, she's right. He lost it a long time ago."

"At least my godson agrees with me. I'd better go. And you should all go to sleep. I'd rather not announce that Gyrffindor lost to _Ravenclaw_."

**Yay!!! End of the chapter! So how was the fluff experiment? Oh, and howtall (in metric units) is the astronomy tower? Don't ask, just tell us, you'll see next chapter. FIVE REVIEWS!**


	30. Quidditch, Unruly Seekers, and Illegal D...

**Woohoo! Yay reviews! Okay, answers to questions. Will Sirius play pranks on Snape? Actually, we hadn't thought about that, but since you've mentioned it, will be sure to put something in. Yes, there will be Heather/Sirius fluff, but not unhealthily so (it's not under the romance genre, remember?). There will probably also be Bridget/Remus fluff, but not as much, since we don't see them every day (actually, you won't see them for awhile. I think Remus comes back in chapter 32. Hm.) And Sirius has his own room. Not sure where it is, but yeah. Anywho---The plot and any characters J.K. never put her books are ours, but nothing else!**

Chapter 30

Quidditch, Unruly Seekers, and Illegal Duels

"Zorro!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"What?!?" Hermione cried.

"Ron, wake up! We have a Quidditch game in one hour!"

"Wha??? Okay, okay, I'm up, really."

"What was that all about???"

"Oh, nothing Hermione. Just a really weird dream."

"Yeah…I can tell."

"Get up!" Harry yelled.

"Right! Sorry."

"You should be."

"Sirius, what are you doing here?"

"I believe I'm allowed to visit people in the Hospital Wing. Besides, I'd rather Gryffindor won this game, thank you very much."

"Fine, I'm going, I'm going."

* * *

"Well, we're better than a stupid little lion. Roar." 

Two first-years, a Gryffindor and a Ravenclaw, were in a heated debate of whose mascot was better. **(A/N-yes, that's us)**

"I like my lion, thank you very much. At least it's not a badger."

"Well, a badger would be cuter than a lion, and, in case you haven't noticed, we don't have a badger either."

"My lion's better than your, what is it?"

"A raven! No, wait, it's an eagle."

"But it's RAVENclaw!"

"You're right! What _is_ the mascot?"

"Hey!" The two girls looked up in fear and saw Sirius Black standing in front of them, holding out his hand. "Sorry about that little mishap in the Great Hall. I really didn't intend to turn you plaid."

"Aaaaaaaaaaahhhh!"

"Emily, it's okay, it'll-Emily? Emily?!? Aaaaaaaaahhhh!" With that, Kelly ran off to join her friend in the stands.

"Hm. It seems I don't have that old charm I used to…"

* * *

"Hello everyone! Contrary to popular belief, I am NOT a mass murderer bent on killing everyone within a ten-mile radius; I am, in fact, the Quidditch commentator and, unfortunately, your co-Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Welcome to…um-the Quidditch pitch!" 

Harry heard Sirius's voice carrying into the Gryffindor locker room as he and his fellow teammates prepared to do something. He, Ron, and Ginny exchanged looks.

"And here is your Gryffindor team, much better than any of your other stupid excuses for Quidditch players-"

"_Mr. Black, that will do,_" McGonagall warned.

"So anyway, we have Kirke, Sloper, Thomas, Perkins, Weasley, Weasley, and, my personal favorite, Potter!"

Cheers rang out from a large, red-clad portion of the stands, as boos erupted from the Slytherin end.

"And, for those of you who happen to be unfortunate enough to have landed yourselves in Ravenclaw, here's Goldstein, Quirke, Turpin, Li, Ackerly, Boot, and-uh…Chooooo? Hmm…Choo Chung. Hey! Sounds like chimichanga. I could go for one of those right about now. With chicken…"

"Ahem, _Mister_ Black, would you mind commentating?"

"Oh, right. Anyway we-oh! Hey, look, they already started!" Sirius cried as Harry flew past his head. Cho was close behind.

"If you had any brains at all you'd realize that my name is CHO!!!!!!"

"Sorry Choo!" Sirius called after her.

"I believe you're supposed to be commentating."

"I am commentating, thank you very much, _Minnie_!"

"If I've told you once, I've told you a million times-DON'T CALL ME MINNIE!"

"Whatever you say Minnie. Anyway, Ginny Weasley of Gryffindor has the Quaffle…nice move there…shoots…blocked by keeper Boot of Ravenclaw…stupid keeper…uh, someone from Ravenclaw takes the Quaffle, ooh, hit hard by a Bludger from Kirke…Quaffle taken by Perkins of Gryffindor, shoots-SCORES!!!!!!! Ten to none! HA! Take that, stupid Ravenclaw!"

"Excuse me?"

"Sorry McGonagall! So…where's the Quaffle?"

"SIRIUS BLACK, GIVE ME THAT MICROPHONE!!"

"Hey, it's mine, you can't have it!"

"I am the deputy headmistress, I can take it if I so desire!"

"Can not!"

"Can too, Mr. Black, so HAND IT OVER!"

"Make me!"

"Fine then. _Accio_!"

"Hey! Get your own!"

"_Expelliarmus_!"

"Ha! Missed m-hey! Give that back!"

"I should think not!"

"Well, I should think so!"

"In case you haven't noticed, I don't particularly care about what you think."

"Well, you should."

Out on the Quidditch field, another fight was breaking out, involving a pair of Seekers. Said Seekers had abandoned their brooms and were rolling around on the Pitch, throwing punches at each other.

"I don't _care_ who pushed who off first, Potter, I'm going to whack some manners into you!"

"Me?!? Somebody needs a reality check!"

"Are you implying something, Potter??"

"I'm implying a lot of things, actually."

"You're a horrible Quidditch player."

"You're the one that fell off first."

"You fell off in third year because of some lousy Dementor!"

"That doesn't count."

"It does too!"

"How would you like to hear people screaming every time a Dementor gets close to you, huh?"

"You hear people screaming? You're crazier than I thought you were, which is saying something."

"Shut up, you old hag."

"Cedric wouldn't have even started fighting!"

"Yeah, well, I'm not Cedric!"

"You're just jealous of him!"

"Don't you dare bring Cedric into this!!"

"I'll bring whoever I want into it! And by the way, you're a horrible kisser!"

"_I'm_ a horrible kisser? Who was crying the entire time?"

"Just because you're too insensitive to understand girls and any emotion besides pride doesn't mean you can go around-"

Suddenly, Sirius and McGonagall's voices made their way into the conversation.

"GET HER, HARRY!!!!"

"Sirius Black, GIVE ME BACK THAT MICROPHONE!!!!!"

"No, wait, Ginny Weasley of Gryffindor scores! Happy now?"

"No!"

"Your godfather's a real loser," Cho jeered, struggling to get out of Harry's grasp.

"Take that back, you-" Harry had made to smack her in the face but accidentally caught the Snitch in the process, which had apparently flown in-between them. They both stared at it for a few seconds before Harry threw his hand up into the air in triumph. He heard a quick "Gryffindor wins!" from Sirius before McGonagall yanked the microphone away from him.

Jumping back on his Firebolt, Harry had every intention of parading around the field. However, just as he pushed the broom forward, Cho grabbed onto the tail. Harry screamed as the broom jerked forward, throwing both Cho and him into the stands. It then shot forward and pelted Malfoy in the face.

Harry had crashed into Professor McGonagall, who gave him a strong, "Mr. Potter!" which he ignored as he got to his feet and ran off to get back at Cho. She had collided with Snape, and heard a whispered "Slap him for me, Chang.," which she intended to do. They met dangerously close to the edge of the stands and Harry attempted to give Cho a good blow on the head. However, his flight through the air and into the Transfiguration teacher had left him rather dazed, and he missed terribly. He heard Malfoy laughing close by and threw out an arm, successfully whacking Draco in the nose.

"POTTER, YOU FREAK!!" Malfoy gave Harry an extremely hard shove; Harry stumbled backwards grabbed onto the closest thing he could reach, which happened to be Cho's wrist. She screamed and fell backwards as well, toppling over the edge of the stands and holding onto it with her free hand.

"Hmm. You know, Harry, this leaves me in an interesting position."

"Don't you _dare_ let go, Chang!"

"You idiot, why would I let go? I'd fall too! However, unless you get your hands off my arm, we'll both fall."

"We will not, someone will get us." As soon as he had spoken, Malfoy leaned over the side, holding out Harry's Firebolt.

"Here, hold on to this I'll pull you up! Wait a second, what am I _doing_??" With that, he started hitting Cho with the broom. "Nothing against you, Chang!" Her hand slipped off, but, due to Seeker reflexes, she grabbed onto Harry's broomstick. While she was adjusting her grip, Harry's lost his on her wrist and he caught her ankle. Cho pulled herself up onto the broom and sped towards the ground. About ten feet from the grass, she successfully shook him off and he fell onto the Pitch.

"Harry, mate, you okay?" Harry opened his eyes and found Ron staring at him. The Chasers were behind him with looks of concern on their faces. He held out his hand, helped Harry get to his feet and supported him for a few seconds while Harry regained his balance. Sirius came up to them with a dejected look on his face.

"You should've beaten her to a pulp, you know."

"I would've gotten detention for that, Sirius."

"You already did."

"What?!? With you and Heather, right?"

"No. Dear old Snivelly requested you before I could."

"Of course."

"Good news is that you've got it with your girlfriend!"

"She-is-not-my-girlfriend."

"Yeah, sure, that's what you want us to think," Sirius teased.

"By the way," Ron added, "I think we'll be needing a couple more beaters."

"Why?"

"Kirke and Sloper kind of…hit each other in the head with their clubs." Harry simply shook his head as they walked off the pitch.

* * *

Not long afterwards, Harry was wandering around the halls when he met up with none other than Draco Malfoy, his nose, unfortunately, healed perfectly. 

"Potter, you are going to pay for that."

"Shove off, Malfoy, you deserved it."

"Whether or not I deserved it, you'll come to the top of the Astronomy tower tonight at midnight. Alone. For a duel."

"You actually going to come this time? Or just try to get me expelled?"

"Of course I'll come, will you?"

"What do you take me for, a nasty little Slytherin? I'm not in Gryffindor for nothing, you know."

"Good. Better start saying your prayers now, Potter."

Harry was able to sneak away that night under the cover of his invisibility cloak. Luckily, he didn't run into Peeves, Mrs. Norris, Sirius, Heather, Dumbledore, or any other teacher. He reached the astronomy tower shortly before midnight to find Malfoy waiting for him, true to his word.

"Ready, Potter?"

"What do you think?"

"Right then. _Tarantallegra_!" Harry dodged the spell and soon the air was thick with hexes and charms.

"_Accio wand_!"

"_Stupify_!"

"_Rictusempra_!"

"_Expelliarmus_!"

"_Furnunculus_!"

"_Incendio_!"

Harry was able to avoid all of Malfoy's spells, but, in the process, was put on the defensive and kept backing farther and farther away from the center of the tower. Suddenly he was hit forcefully in the chest by a strung gust of wind from Draco's wand and slammed into the wall. After two more blasts, Harry got unsteadily to his feet and prepared to fight back. However, he never got the chance. As soon as he was up, Malfoy shot a strong reductor curse. Harry laughed inwardly at Draco's aim when it hit the ground near his feet. When he heard Malfoy's own laughter though, he suddenly realized something-He was standing on the very edge of the tower, and Malfoy had just destroyed the brick he had been standing on. Losing his balance, Harry fell backwards and felt his hand grip the crumbling rocks.

A smirking Draco Malfoy came up to him, wand in hand. His smile grew as he shot out his last spell. "_Crucio_!" Writhing in pain, Harry let go of the tower and fell at an astounding speed towards the ground, which happened to be a good 200 feet away…

**There! Ok, BAD NEWS!! READ-ME OR SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
Okay, basically, up until this point we've had the chapters ready to be posted once you lot gave us reviews. However, that perfect little world has shattered and it will now take much longer to update. Don't worry if it hasn't been updated for awhile, WE HAVE NO INTENTION OF ABANDONING THIS FIC!!!!!!!!!!!!! So, review and you will remind us to write chapters, ok? I promise that unless we're drowning under a pile of homework, each time someone reviews we'll write something ok! ok!! So review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	31. The Deep and Complex Thoughts of Harry P...

_Hi everyone! KCB again! This next chapter...well, i think you'll enjoy it. I did! (Well, that could be because I helped write it) But, if you think ths chapter's crazy, just wait until 32! (Heeheehee!)_

_NOTE: I think, from where 5 left off, that Cho and Harry are technically on speaking terms, but for the puropse of the last chapter, just refer back to that fateful Hogsmeade trip on Valentine's Day._

_We still don't own Harry Potter! (Italics are Harry's thoughts.)_

**And other things too (wink wink).**

Chapter 31

The Deep and Complex Thoughts of Harry Potter

_Wow. I'm falling pretty fast. I wonder how long it'll take me to get to the ground. This is the second time I've fallen today. Wait, technically that Quidditch game was yesterday. Hold on-Quidditch-I had my broom, well, Cho had my broom. I don't have my broom this time. That could be a problem. I'm actually going to hit the ground now. I'm going to die. I'M GOING TO DIE!_

"HELP! I'M GOING TO DIE!"_ Isn't that what Ron said right before he got bitten by that acromantula? Wow, it is. Ron didn't die. But no one except Draco knows that I'm out here. And I highly doubt that Draco's going to go and save me. Oh, no. I really am going to die. What about that prophesy? Only Voldemort can kill me! Does this count? Is Malfoy a Death Eater sent by Voldemort? Is Malfoy Voldemort? He's evil enough, that's for sure._

_Oh, wait, right, I'm about to die. I should do something about that. But what? My wand's falling so much slower than I am and I can't reach it. I could always try flapping my arms. But that would be useless and stupid. Why do I care? I'm going to die in a couple seconds anyway. And besides, who's going to see me? Draco. Like I care what he thinks._

_HOLD ON! I'm going up! How, for the love of Merlin am I going up? It defies every law of nature and physics I know! Which really, when you think about it isn't much, considering the Durselys didn't really care what school taught me as long as it was cheap. And besides, I defy laws of science all the time with my wand, which I don't have right now. But still, how does this work?_

_And the wind feels really cold on my feathers. My-feathers. Since when do I have feathers? Why do I suddenly have golden feathers on my arms? Wait a second, since when do I not have arms? They're-they're-wings? MY ANIMAGUS FORM! I'M A PHOENIX! I TRANSFORMED! I DID IT! I DON'T HAVE ANY IDEA HOW TO STEER THIS THING!_

Harry ended up pummeling himself into a wall no less than ten times before falling through an open window. He wondered vaguely who in their right mind would let the chilly November air as he collapsed into a pile of feathers on something hard.

"Fawkes? Fawkes, are you alright?" Harry heard a female voice asking. Too weak and sore to move, he let whomever it was take him into her arms and carry him across the room. She opened up a side chamber and walked in, lighting the room with her wand.

"What is it, I want to sleep," someone mumbled.

"Sirius, there's something wrong with Fawkes!" _Okay, so that was Sirius. That meant the woman was Heather. They'd be able to sort all of this out_.

"That's nice, dear."

"Sirius Or-"

"DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT FINISHING MY MIDDLE NAME!"

"Will you just get over here already! Fawkes is hurt!"

"So take him to Dumbledore!"

"Come with me!"

"_Why?_"

"Because I said so."

"That's a stupid reason."

"Will you just get up already!"

"Fine, I'm coming, I'm coming."

Harry, after regaining most of his senses, was trying to transform back to his regular self on the way to the Headmaster's office. However, he found that Sirius had conveniently forgotten to tell him how to accomplish this, and was having some difficulties doing it on his own.

"Headmaster!" Heather called as she opened up the door to his room, Harry still in her arms. Sirius dragged himself in later and collapsed into one of Dumbledore's chairs.

"Yes, Heather? Is something wrong?"

"Dumbledore, it's Fawkes, he's hurt badly!"

"But-but that cannot be-Fawkes is right over there!" He pointed to a perch near his desk where the phoenix sat, one eye open to inspect the newcomers.

"Then, but, how many other phoenixes have his plumage?" Sirius asked, finally awake enough to get into the conversation. "I always thought he was one of a kind!"

"As did I," Dumbledore responded, looking quite perplexed.

"_Sure, some upstart little birdie has to come and steal my fame."_ Harry lifted his head up and looked around the room, searching for the source of the voice. _"Over here. Honestly. And you call yourself a phoenix?"_

"_You-who are you?" _Harry questioned, finding it weird to speak in phoenix.

"_The old man over there calls me Fawkes, but I'd really rather keep my old name."_

"_Which is…"_

"_Gryffindor."_

"_You're Gryffindor? As in, Godric Gryffindor?"_

"_No, I'm Gryffindor, as in, the pet of Godric Gryffindor. How do you do, Mr.…"_

"_Potter. I think. I'm not really sure any more."_

"_How can you not be sure?"_

"_Well, I used to be a person but my godfather never told me how to transform back."_

"_Ah, your animagus form. Quite becoming, really. Come over here and I'll explain the life of a phoenix to you."_ Harry got up from Heather's arms and flew wobbly over to Fawkes, or Gryffindor, or whoever he was. The phoenix was about to say something as the door suddenly burst open, and everyone turned to stare at the form that literally hurtled itself into the room. At once, Harry recognized its flaming hair.

"Dum-dumbledore-you've got to-we can't find…"

"Ron, what are you babbling about?" Sirius questioned with a hint of annoyance.

"Sirius? You've heard? We've got to-"

"I've heard what?"

"Ronald," Heather prodded gently, "what are you trying to say?"

"Harry's gone. He's missing!"

"WHAT!" Sirius was out of his chair at an almost inhuman speed and ran over to Ron, shaking him. "How? When? WHAT HAPPENED!"

"I-I don't know, I just woke up, because I heard someone screaming outside, and I was about to ask Harry if he'd heard it, and he wasn't there!"

"What were they screaming?" Heather asked softly.

"It sounded like 'help,' then something else I couldn't make out, it-it did sort of sound like him…"

"Death eaters have my godson. HARRY!" Sirius made to tear out of the room, but Heather grabbed his robes and stopped him.

"You can't just go running out into the middle of something like that!"

"I can when it's my godson we're talking about! Harry's probably being tortured or something as we speak and I'm just standing here!"

"_They're really worried about you."_

"_Yeah, I know. They do that a lot."_

"_We probably should get their attention, though."_

"_True."_ Harry flew over to them and lighted on Sirius's shoulder.

"Get off!"

"Sirius, it's just a bird, it doesn't know what it's doing," Ron countered.

"_I do too know what I'm doing!"_ Sirius and Ron got into a loud argument while Dumbledore tried to shut both of them up and Heather attempted to think things through. She got a look of understanding on her face and stared up at Harry, mouthing something at him. Harry, getting the picture, nodded vigorously just as Sirius made a lunge at Ron; as a result, Harry was thrown off his godfather and landed on Heather's outstretched hand. Knowing full well she would never make herself heard over the racket, she placed a Sonorous Charm on herself and screamed, "SHUT UP!"

* * *

In the Gryffindor common room-

People were running wildly all over the place, overturning chairs and tables, screaming their heads off.

"SHUT UP!" All of the occupants froze in place, looked at each other for a few seconds, then continued on with whatever they were doing, excluding Hermione and Ginny, who raced off to find the source of Heather's voice.

* * *

In the Hufflepuff common room-

Most of the students were sleeping soundly, except for a few late night studiers.

"SHUT UP!" Everyone woke up and huddled together, a few of the younger students whimpering.

* * *

In the Ravenclaw common room-

Everyone was fast asleep. No one even woke up at the sound of their Defense teacher's voice.

* * *

In the Slytherin common room-

A group of older Slytherins was sitting around, discussing ways to wreak havoc among the Gryffindors.

"SHUT UP!"

"Whatever," Malfoy growled.

* * *

Back in the Headmaster's office-

Sirius, Ron, and Dumbledore stopped yelling immediately and looked over at her.

"Harry's fine!"

"What are you talking about?" Sirius practically screamed.

"I don't think he can transform back."

"Huh?" Ron stared stupidly at her.

"Why do you think there are two phoenixes?"

"Harry-Harry's animagus form! Of course! Oh, no, I never told you how to turn yourself human, did I?" Harry shook his head and Sirius started laughing. "This is exactly what happened to James! He was the first of us to transform, and he was stuck as a stag for three days! Don't worry though," he added quickly, "we figured it out.

"Okay, first, um, wow, I haven't thought about this for awhile. Alright, think about, uh, Quidditch! Yes, think about Quidditch! Then-"

"WHERE'S HARRY!" Everyone started as two girls screamed at the gargoyle statue.

"It's Hermione and Ginny," Ron chuckled. "Should I let them in?"

"Yes, please do," Dumbledore replied.

"So, then focus on the ground," Sirius continued. "The way the ground looks and how-oh, sod it, I'm getting the book." Hermione and Ginny, in a mad rush to find Harry, threw Sirius to the ground before he could get out of the office.

"IS HAR-"

"He's fine Hermione, now get off me!" Sirius barked. "I have to go find the book."

"Ooh, maybe I can help! What book?"

"_How to Become an Animagus and other Complex Spells_."

"Oh, I borrowed that from Harry! I have it with me?"

"_WHY?_"

"I've already finished reading the course texts and I was skimming through that when Ron woke me up, screaming that Harry was missing, and I never put it back in my trunk. Why do you need it-Oh! I get it! Hang on, let me find the chapter."

"Ginny?"

"Yes, er, _Professor_ Black?"

"Why on earth was Hermione reading a book about Animagi at one in the morning?"

"Because she's Hermione," Ron explained.

"Yeah. That helped a lot."

"_You humans argue too much."_

"_You've got no idea Fa-Gryffindor."_

"_Do I? I live in the Headmaster's office, you know."_

"_Right. Forgot about that."_

"_So tell me Harry, just how useful **are** opposable thumbs?"_

"_Very. But you can heal people with your tears and go all over the place in some flash of light, I'd call that pretty cool."_

"_You've forgotten about the whole immortality thing."_

"_**Are** phoenixes immortal?"_

"_We're close, but not quite."_

"_Does it hurt when you burst into flames?"_

"_Not really, at least, I never remember feeling any pain."_

"_And how do you get yourself to cry on command? I can't do that."_

"_You learn. Just think about the person that is hurt, pretend that it's all your fault and that they're already dead and boom-you start crying." _Harry cocked his head and stared at the old bird, who appeared to be laughing. _"Don't worry, I'll coach you through all the aspects of phoenixisation."_

"_Is that a word?"_

"_No, but when no one can understand a thing you say, you can make up words. Of course, now that you're here I have someone else I can communicate with."_

"_What about Dumbledore?"_

"_I can get my points across, but nothing more."_

"Harry! Earth to Harry! Yoo-hoo! Sirius calling birdbrain, are you there?" In response, Harry nipped his godfather's hand. "Ow! You didn't have to do that, now did you?"

"_Yes I did."_

"_Of course you did," _Fawkes agreed, _" we phoenixes take great pride in our intelligence, thank you very much."_

"_Centaur."_

"_I heard that."_

"Anyway, the book says focus on things you can only do as a person. Like, uh…"

"Open doors!" Ron shouted.

"Use a wand!" cried Hermione.

"Unwrap lemon drops." Everyone looked over at the Headmaster with a strange expression on his or her face. "What? Fawkes has tried, and I must say it's impossible."

"Whatever. Anyway, just focus on stuff like that."

"_Honestly, I don't see why you want to go back to being a human."_

"_I can do magic! And play Quidditch."_

"_So what? Phoenixes are magical and we can fly anyway. Except for maybe you."_

"_Yeah, well, this was my first time, remember?"_

"_Excuses, excuses."_

"_You know, you're really not helping in getting me back to being a human."_

"_Sorry."_

"_You should be!"_

"_Just focus on stupid human things already."_

"_I could if you would shut up."_

"_Fine then." _The bird flew away from Harry, leaving him to rack his brain for human thoughts. He learned, however, that even with Sirius's coaching and the Animagus book he couldn't change back, and instead finally fell asleep on the perch.

**That wasn't soooooo long of a wait, was it? Anyway, Padfoot's Sidekick-are you psychic or something? We knew exactly how this chapter was going to work out before that review! That's creepy! Anyway, we got 75 reviews! Woohooo! um, Emm's kind of sick right now and can't remember what else she was going to say, so she'll just shut up now, and quit talking in third person. Review!**


	32. The Pointless Mission

**Wow this chapter took a long time! We sincerely hope that no other chapter will take this long. And sorry. By the way, KCB was supposed to be introing this chapter, but i kind of left the sheet in my locker (i do that a lot) and therefore you wouldn't get this until Tuesday. We figured you wouldn't like that. She says something to the effect of sorry for the delay and hope you like this chapter. Anywho-we still don't own Harry Potter.**

Chapter 32

The Pointless Mission

"OW!" Harry woke up and rubbed his head where he hit the floor. He intended to get back into his bed, but he found it wasn't there. Panicking, Harry took several steps backwards, tripped over a broken perch, screamed again, fell, and landed on something hard. He learned it was Ron, after said person broke into a resounding, though rather interesting, chorus of the Hogwarts School Song to the tune of God Save the Queen.

"Hogwarts Hogwarts Hoggy-warty warthogs

Sirius has fleas…" Sirius jolted awake at the sound of Ron's terrible off-key singing and took this opportunity to smack him and then join in.

"Whether we be old and bald, or young with scabby knees,

Our heads could do with filling with some interesting stuff,

For now they're bare and full of air, dead flies and bits of fluff-"

"Stop singing, both of you!" Harry yelled, covering his ears.

"Hey, you're a person!" Sirius observed.

"Um, yeah…oh!"

"Wow, I am!" Harry exclaimed. "Now, where are we?"

"Dumbledore's office."

"If this is Dumbledore's office, then where's Dumbledore?" Ron and Harry asked at the same time.

"Top secret Order mission. I do not, however, know where Heather and Hermione are."

"Right here!" Heather's voice rang through the walls as she, Ginny, and Hermione reentered the office.

"Hey Harry! You're-back," Hermione stammered. Fawkes flew into the room and looked down at Harry in what could only be considered phoenix-disdain.

_Potter, you broke my perch!_

"I did not!"

"You didn't what, Harry?" Sirius asked, putting his hand on his godson's forehead. "You feeling okay?"

"Just-just, oh never mind."

"Anyway," Heather continued, "mind telling us how you transformed back? Or, what you were doing outside at midnight in the first place?"

"Uh, not sure how I transformed back, and I was-uh-er-I did-but-he-tower-uh…MalfoyandIdueledontheastronomrytowerbecausehewasmadatmeforpunchinghimatQuidditchyesterda  
yandhebeatmeandIfelloffthetowerandIthoughtIwasgoingtodiebutthenItransformedsoIdidn't."

"What?"

"I kind of-sort of-dueled with Malfoy."

"Outside?" Heather asked suspiciously.

"Er-on the Astronomy tower."

"And he beat you?" Sirius yelled.

"Well, um, I-yeah. But he did something illegal! He used the-" Harry stopped himself in mid-sentence when he realized what Sirius's reaction to Harry being hit with the Cruciatus Curse would be.

"He used the what?" Ron prodded.

"Never mind."

"Harry…" Sirius growled.

"He-he used two wands." Both of his godparents raised an eyebrow at this, but let it go.

"So, is there any chance you can transform back?" Heather asked.

"Uh-possibly…Why?"

"An animagus form is very useful. It won't be much help, however, if you can't use it when you need to," Sirius smirked. "If we have to push you off a building to get you to transform, we could potentially have a problem."

"Okay, I get it, Sirius. Um, did we ever actually go over that part?"

"Nope."

"Then how did I manage to do it last night-this morning-whenever it was when I transformed?"

"Adrenaline. But now, we're going to have to get you transforming the hard way."

"Run, Harry," advised Heather. "Run. Now. Run far, far away."

"Oh come on, it's not that bad, is it?" Sirius argued.

"Um, maybe we should leave you guys alone," Hermione suggested. "Come on Ron, Ginny, you need to work on homework anyway. To the library!" She raced out of the office, pulling a very annoyed Ron and a complaining Ginny with her.

"So anyway, you're actually supposed to say a spell to transform," Sirius explained. "Everyone's spell is different, and you won't know what it is until you say it. That's the reason the Animagus transformation is so difficult."

"So how did I transform before?"

"Don't know, actually. You must've said the spell without realizing it."

"How do I figure out what the spell is?"

"Pure and utter luck."

"Great."

"Just follow my lead." Sirius transformed into the great black dog and sat down at Harry's feet.

"Yeah, Sirius, I really don't think that helped him so much."

"Could you slow it down a little?"

"Just watch me, Harry." To both his and Sirius' amazement, Heather started chanting something in a language that sounded rather Celtic; before they realized it, a green-eyed fox was in Heather's place. The black dog that was Sirius gave a large yelp and transformed back into a person.

"You're an animagus?" The fox simply stared up at him and wagged her tail. "YOU are an animagus? You? Fox? Heather?" Said fox gave several small yips as if she were laughing and started prancing around Dumbledore's office.

"You are an animagus, aren't you? Was my mum an animagus, too?" Heather transformed back and laughed softly.

"Lily? Go against the rules? No, she wasn't an animagus. James did try rather hard to get her to become one, but in the end he just settled on convincing me. And I must say, Sirius, the look on your face was worth all of it!"

"But-but-you-he-oh, never mind. You get to help me with him then."

"Fine by me. Harry, concentrate on a phoenix. Look at Fawkes over there."

_Gryffindor! Honestly, my name is Gryffindor!_

"Gryffindor, not Fawkes."

"Wha?" Sirius stammered, looking at Harry in total confusion.

"You spoke with him, didn't you?"

"Yeah, and I can still understand him, too."

"That's…"

"Unusual," Heather finished, gazing at the phoenix in wonder. "Anyway, focus on Gryffindor, and say the first thing that comes to mind."

"Hello, Gryffindor!"

Hello, Potter 

"That's not what I meant!"

"You said, 'say the first thing that comes to mind,' so I did!" Harry countered.

"Sirius, would you stop laughing already? You're not helping!"

"You have to admit, he has James' sense of humor."

"Whether or not Harry is as funny as his father doesn't make a difference! We're his godparents! We're supposed to be helping him!"

"I am helping him!" Sirius exclaimed. While the two of them were arguing, Harry and Gryffindor were in deep conversation.

_Concentrate on your wings. The feel of the air on your feathers. Flying without a broom. Are you focusing?_

"Yes," Harry murmured in reply.

_Good. Now close you eyes. Take several deep breaths, but still think of the phoenix. Now, open your mouth and say something._

"Kalimatrakes neolpo." The feathers and wings returned, and Harry jumped into the air, trilling loudly. Heather and Sirius stopped shouting at each other and stared at him.

"See, he managed it on his own. My laughter doesn't matter."

"Yeah, just as long as he can transform back," Heather reminded him.

"_How do I switch back? How do I switch back?" _Harry panicked.

"_Calm down! Just reverse the order of the words." _Harry did as the bird told him and found himself human once again.

"Yes!" Harry shouted. "Thanks Gryffindor!"

_You're very welcome._

"Hey, Gryffindor, does Dumbledore ever sleep?" Sirius asked, looking over at the phoenix. "He'll never tell me."

_About once a week._

"He says once a week," Harry interpreted.

"I knew it."

* * *

"Tell me again why we're here?" Sturgis Podmore, Remus Lupin, and Nymphadora Tonks were sitting, huddled around a dying fire, in a very cold cave in the middle of Siberia. 

"Because," replied Tonks exasperatedly, "this is where the Death Eaters have been spotted." Of course, the entire thing was a lie. But while Tonks and Lupin kept Podmore out of the way, the rest of the Order was planning an attack on Voldemort's actual strong-hold.

"So, where are they?"

"We don't know," Remus told him. "That's why we're waiting for them to show us where they are."

"Oh, so it's like a stake-out!"

"Exactly!" they shouted.

"So, where is everybody else? If we know the Death Eaters are here, shouldn't the entire Order of the Phoenix be here too?"

"They are," Tonks lied. "They're all spread out and hiding other places."

"Okay," Sturgis remarked, seemingly satisfied with the answer. They began to play poker (with muggle cards, so as not to attract attention), and had soon been waiting for five hours.

"You know, I don't think they're here."

"Of course they're here!" Lupin responded. "They just haven't come out of hiding yet!"

"I'm going to go have a look." Tonks walked out of the cave, looking for the signal Dumbledore was supposed to be giving them as a sign to return to England. She didn't find Dumbledore or any other Order member. She did, however, come face to face with a large group of masked wizards in black robes.

"Tonks, what's keeping you? I thought-" Moony cut himself off in mid-sentence. "Oh, no. RUN!"

"What?" Podmore poked his head out of the cave in confusion. "Hey look, Death Eaters! We found them!" Lupin and Tonks, meanwhile, were in a very heated duel with about twenty of Voldemort's servants. After taking out no more than five of them, the two Order members attempted to retreat and Apparate to some point, preferably not one overrun with Death Eaters. Before they could do so, Bellatrix had stepped forward and taken the tired and cold Tonks out with one spell. That left Lupin and Podmore, who was nowhere to be seen, with an ever-growing number of very powerful, very angry Death Eaters.

"Hello, werewolf," one of them snarled, and Moony immediately recognized Rodolphus Lestrange's humorless voice.

"Hello, Lestrange. How's life as one of Voldemort's lackeys?" Successfully drawing every single wand-point to his chest, Remus levitated Tonks' limp body and made a mad dash for…for someplace. Anywhere that didn't have a large number of people trying very hard to kill him would be good.

He didn't get far, however. Some hex hit him in the leg, and he fell face first into the snow, Tonks hitting the white ground not far to his left. Flipping over to face the Death Eaters, Lupin found both Lestranges had removed their masks and were pointing their wands straight at him.

"Let's see how long it takes for him to go insane," Bellatrix suggested menacingly.

"The Longbottom's set a nice record, think you can beat it, werewolf?" They both laughed cruelly and hit him with the Cruciatus Curse.

_No,_ he thought, _don't give in. I have to face more pain than this at the full moon. It's nothing. Don't focus on the pain, think about something else. Bridget. Think of Bridget. Bridget…_

He couldn't stop himself. All at once, Remus was screaming louder than he ever had. His throat was becoming raw, he was thrashing wildly in the snow, and still the Lestranges kept up their spell. More and more Death Eaters joined in, until it was all too much. It felt as if his body was being torn apart with white-hot butcher knives. And then suddenly-it stopped. Everything stopped, and Remus Lupin knew no more.

**Muahahaha! The next chapter has already been outlined, it just needs to be put on paper (or rather hard drive space) so it should be up in about a week, maybe two weeks. After three you can start flaming us. Remember to review! It makes us oh so happy!**

**P.S. I do believe we've forgotten something. The password into the Gryffindor common room, blubber monkeys, was given to us by KCB's sister Leah, who was also the driving inspiration behind chapter 33. Please applaude now, even though she can't hear you. Review!**


	33. Expellamajubus

**See, that wasn't such a long wait, now was it? At least, not as long as the last one. The next chapter will probably takea bit more time, i'd say the forecast is for about three weeks. Peachy? Peachy. Thanx to Leah for the idea behind this chapter. **

**Disclaimer-Yeah, still don't own it. We wish we did. But we don't. Except for Heather. And Bridget. And a certain new character to come up next chapter...Muahahaa!**

Chapter 33

Expellamajubus

"Please explain to me why Remus is unconscious in the hospital wing," Sirius demanded. It was Monday, and Sirius, surprisingly enough, had been up before Heather and decided to wander through the castle.

"Mr. Lupin has apparently gotten himself into a bit of a scuffle with a few Death Eaters. Now, if you do not _mind_, Mr. Black, I must tend to my patient."

"SIRIUS!" A lime-green blur shot forward, toppling him to the ground. Sirius looked around in confusion, then spotted the person sitting on the floor a few feet from him, laughing rather hysterically. Shaking his head, he got to his feet and looked down in amusement at the woman on the ground, platinum blonde hair shaking as she giggled insanely, bright blue eyes staring back up at Sirius.

"What is so funny?" he asked as he pulled the still-chuckling Bridget to her feet.

"I've got no idea!" she gasped between laughs, brushing off her Healer robes. "I just started laughing!" Her eyes suddenly brimmed with tears and her body was racked with sobs. She fell forward into Sirius' arms, and he, unsure of what to do, started rubbing her back, hoping for all the world that Remus wouldn't wake up and see them like this.

"Bridget?" he asked uncertainly.

"He-he…"

"Are you alright?"

"No, I'm not alright! Remus, they…they tortured him! Five of them…put him under the Cruciatus curse at once, and…Madam Pomfrey says he has about a 90 chance of waking up!"

"Well, 90 percent is pretty good! He'll be fine, don't worry."

"You didn't let me finish! He has a 90 chance of waking up. He has a 20 chance of waking up sane!" _Cancel that wish about Remus not waking up._

"Is that why you're here?" Bridget stopped sniffling and wiped her eyes on the back of her sleeve.

"No, why I'm here is actually good news. Madam Pomfrey is going to retire soon, and I'm taking her place. But now I'm not so sure I want to."

"Oh, come on," Sirius comforted, "Remus will be fine, I promise. Shh, it'll be okay."

"No it…it won't…"

"Yes, it will. You've done everything you can…"

"But what if that's not enough? Poppy says that if Dumbledore and the others hadn't gotten there when they did, Remus would be dead! And the only thing we could use to help him at all contains silver, it would just make things worse…"

"SIRIUS ORION BLACK! WHAT ON EARTH DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" Heather shrieked as she strode into the hospital wing, finding her fiancé and best friend holding onto each other as if their lives depended on it.

"Heather, stop it. Sirius was…he was…"

"I don't want to hear it, okay!"

"Heath-" Sirius started.

"You shut up! I thought you actually cared about me! I can see now how wrong I was!" Madam Pomfrey chose that moment to walk towards them, chastising the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor the entire time.

"Miss Windling, this is a hospital wing. I understand if you're here to see him, but _please_, keep your voice down! Shouting will not help him at all! I never!" With that she returned to her office, muttering about out of control teachers.

"Who-who was she talking about?" Heather muttered quietly.

"Remus," Sirius replied. "He's lying in that bed over there, unconscious and with a 20 chance of waking up, knowing who everyone is and being able to communicate."

"What…?"

"Death Eaters. Five of them. Put him under the Cruciatus curse. He's-the only thing we can give him has silver in it. I'm scared, Heather," Bridget admitted.

"I-I'm sorry. I saw you two there, and I thought that you-oh my gosh, I'm so stupid!"

"I believe this would be one of those 'group hug times'," Sirius commented; he immediately found himself in a tight embrace by both Heather and Bridget, crying their eyes out. A few minutes later, they were still hugging in the middle of the hospital wing. "Um, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Heather and I do have a class in five minutes. And I really don't think it's a good idea to leave a bunch of first years by themselves for too long."

"He's right, Heather. Go on, get to your class."

"I promise I'll come by later."

"Thanks," Bridget whispered. "Both of you." Sirius ruffled her hair in an older brother sort of way as he and Heather strolled down to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

"Sirius, I'm…"

"Don't even start. It's all right, I understand. I would have done something a bit more drastic if you'd been there with Remus."

"Knowing you, it would involve a large amount of magic and words we would not want the student body to hear."

"Have I really gotten that predictable?" Heather smacked him upside the head as they walked through the door, finding the class already full of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor first years. A very familiar pair was in the front of class, chatting away about something.

"Saturday night I had the _strangest_ dream," Emily was telling her friend. "I was wandering around the forbidden forest, and all of a sudden I saw this unicorn that came right up to me. So I start petting it, stroking its muzzle, and it gets down on the ground to let me ride it. So, I'm about to get on when it just suddenly screams, "SHUT UP!" and then it walks away! Is that weird or what?"

"That is pretty weird," Kelly replied, "but not as weird as my Saturday night. This one fifth year, I think her name is Ginny, starts shaking me awake about one in the morning, and tells me and the rest of my dorm to go searching through the common room for clues of someone who could have broken in. Well, Alice, Anne and I get down there, and the entire Gryffindor house is running around, screaming their heads off and overturning stuff. So we run down the staircase and join them. I've got no idea why, though. And I remember hearing someone screaming shut up, too. But then, awhile later another girl came out of the portrait hole and told us we could stop."

"Are you sure that wasn't a dream?"

"Positive. Cody Johnson dropped a pack of Exploding Snap cards on me and I still have the burn on my arm. See?"

"Ow, it looks painful."

"That's because it is pai-" Sirius had cut them off with a cough, eerily resembling that of Professor Umbridge.

"In case you haven't noticed yet, this is Defense Against the Dark Arts. Due to a lovely trick pulled by your headmaster, I will be co-teaching you the rest of this year. And Heather has decided to have me teach you alone today. She's crazy, for the record, but anyway…

"Today, I'll be showing you the Disarming Spell. You normally don't learn this until next year, but, given the circumstances, the staff believes that you should know it. To fire the spell, bring your wand back and over your head, almost like you're going to shoot a bow and arrow. Now, just hold your wand there and say the incantation, which is _expelliarmus_. The spell will cause your opponent's wand to fly out of their hand and into yours, a very useful spell in dueling. It can also be used on things that aren't wands, such as swords, pieces of paper, a person, etcetera. Now then, who wants to come up here and demonstrate?" Up in the front row, a couple of certain Gryffindor and Ravenclaw students were having a verbal battle of who would go up and duel the scary mass murderer.

"You go!" Kelly demanded, giving her friend a little shove in Sirius's direction.

"You're the brave one! Get up there!"

"Well, you're smart. You can avoid him."

"I can _not_! He's a mass murderer!"

"I can't dodge him either! He's like 50 years older than me!"

"So? Go!" Emily pushed Kelly out of her seat and onto the floor in front of the ex-convict's feet.

"Well then," he remarked, attempting to stifle a laugh, "try to disarm me."

"Uhh…" the girl stuttered, at a loss for words.

"Expelliarmus!" Emily hissed from the desk, enjoying this immensely.

"_Ex-expellamajubus_! Oops." At her feet lay a plate of lime jello- in other words, what she had done to Professor Black.

"I think he looks better that way," Heather remarked, hoping beyond all hope that Sirius could still hear her.

"I said _expelliarmus_, not _expellamajubus_!" Emily cried, waving her wand in exasperation and accidentally turning the young Gryffindor student into a pile of grape jello, covered in whipping cream. "Oops."

"Alright, that's enough! All of you," Heather turned to look at the remainder of the class, "stay here! I doubt we'll be back before you're next class, so, uh, work on homework or something." She grabbed both of the jellos, hurrying off to the hospital wing. Bridget immediately ran up to meet her.

"You came back sooner than I expected! Ooh, I want grape, thanks."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Why not? Is there some rule about eating jello in this school that I don't know about?"

"No, well, maybe, Filch has given it a few interesting rules. Anyway, it's a student!"

"Oh. Then, who's the other one?"

"Sirius."

"Now, I know Sirius and I were hugging, but did you really have to turn him into gelatin?"

I did not turn my fiancé into jello!"

"Whatever you say. Just put them on that bed next to…next to Remus," she finished tearfully, earning a look of pity from the remaining human Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. The two of them began talking about unimportant things, not knowing that Remus was stirring twenty feet away.

He woke up, rubbing sleep out of his eyes and wondering why the heck he was in so much pain when he looked over at the bed next to him, seeing a plate of jello.

"LIME!" he shouted ecstatically, grabbing the fork that had been left on his tray of food (where did that come from?) and stabbed the jello.

"NO!" two women screamed at him, and he quickly pulled the fork away.

"Why not?"

"Remus! Are you okay?" Bridget suddenly screamed.

"I think so. Why wouldn't I be?" The Healer immediately ran up to him, throwing her arms around the very confused werewolf. "I missed something, didn't I?"

"You missed a lot of things," Heather confirmed.

"You never told me why I couldn't eat the jello!"

"Because, it's Sirius! A student turned him into jello instead of disarming him."

"How in the world did they do that?"

"Don't have a clue. Hey, do you know how to change them back?" asked Heather.

"Nope."

"Darn it." Harry, Ron, and Hermione chose that moment to wander into the room uncertainly.

"Uh, Professor?" Harry asked in confusion. "McGonagall told us to come here. Is something wrong? And what are Remus and Bridget doing here?"

"Ooh, jello!" Ron piped up, making a mad dash for the dessert.

"NOOO!" All three adults screamed.

"Why not? It's jello, I want to eat it!"

"Because it's Sirius!" Remus explained.

"It's not serious, it's jello!"

"No, the person Sirius!"

"Professor Lupin, may I ask a question?"

"Hermione, I've told you a million times, call me Remus. But yes, what is it?"

"Why did you turn Sirius into jello?"

"I didn't turn Sirius into jello, that was the other jello!"

"How does jello turn someone into jello?" Harry questioned.

"Jello can turn jello into jello when jello is not actually jello but it's been turned into jello," Heather responded.

"Um, yeah…what?" Ron stammered.

"Here's the story," Heather started. "Sirius was trying to teach the Disarming spell to a group of first years, and apparently _expelliarmus_ sounds a lot like _expellamajubus_. I really don't think I need to say anything else, except, would you care to go to St. Mungo's with us? You'll get to skip your classes for the day."

"Skip our classes?" Hermione shrieked, terrified. "No thank you."

"Hermione, are you nuts?" Ron cried.

"Count the two of us in," Harry told her.

"Good. Bridget, Remus, are you two coming?"

"No, I'm not letting Remus go anywhere yet, and I'll be staying here to make sure he doesn't."

"Would someone mind telling me why?"

"You don't remember much, do you?" questioned Bridget.

"Nope."

"Anyway," Heather interrupted, "we ought to get them to the hospital."

"Right. Bring us back some dessert!" Bridget joked, earning a pillow in the face from Ron, Harry, and Heather. They quickly filed out of the hospital wing, debating how to get three people and two plates of jello to St. Mungo's. Deciding on a floo powder as the best method, the three of them raced into the Defense office. Making extra sure the jellos would survive the trip, Heather put shield charms around both of them, and they hurried over to the Welcome Witch.

"Um, the breakfast buffet is over there," she pointed over to her right, and returned to her copy of _Witch Weekly_.

"No, this isn't food, they've been turned into jello. They're actually people."

"I'm afraid that we don't have a ward for people magically turned into fruity desserts. Take them up to…Spell Damage." Harry, Ron, and Heather carried the people turned jello up to the fourth floor, where they were told that the Healers had no idea how to cure them. Dejectedly, the trio plus desserts returned to Hogwarts, the Hospital Wing, to be exact.

"We still don't know how to change them back!" Heather cried desperately, flinging herself onto one of the beds.

"Give me that!" Remus cried, snatching the jellos from Harry and Ron. "_Finite incantatum_!" Sirius and the first year were immediately restored to their normal selves, while Heather and Bridget looked on, dumbfounded.

"What the heck happened?" Sirius groaned. "And why is my hand bleeding green?" His partner in teaching took it, and was immediately engulfed in chuckles. Four circular holes could be found in his palm, courtesy of Remus's fork.

"That I can fix," Bridget assured them, and then waved her wand over it; the wound vanished. In the midst of it all, Kelly could be found almost hyperventilating in the darkest corner of the hospital.

"Harry, Ron, why don't you take her back to the common room," Heather suggested quietly. They nodded their approval, ushering the terrified first year out of the room.

"She's still not afraid of me, is she? She turned me into a dessert!"

"I know, Sirius. And that has got to be the funniest moment of my life." Sirius looked at her for a second with an indiscernible expression on his face, then shook his head.

"The one rule from now on is thus-I am never teaching by myself again." Bridget, Heather, and Remus were soon laughing hysterically, joined by Padfoot, while Madam Pomfrey went on muttering about disrespect for hospitals, overjoyed that someone would finally take her place and she could escape to Majorca.

**Isn't Majorca a fun place? I wish it was ours. But, like Harry Potter, it's not. Anyway, we hope you had as much fun on that chapter as we did. Until chapter 34, this is Lickrishtix bidding you goodnight. Or good morning. Or good afternoon. How about just good. Ta!**


	34. A Very Interesting Detention

**Welcome to chapter thirty-four. Please fasten your seat-belts and remain seated until the reading is done. Once again, we would like to remind you that no flash photography is allowed, and that these are not LICKRISHSTIX's characters or world. Thank you and enjoy the trip.**

Chapter 34

A Very Interesting Detention

Harry and Ron were wandering through the corridors of Hogwarts lazily, reminiscing on the days interesting events. As luck would have it, they were both laughing too hard to see Professor Snape, and, as a result, they ran right into him.

"Potter," the potions teacher growled in disgust.

"I'm really sorry I missed class today, Professor, I had to-"

"Shut up, you foolish boy, Miss Granger has _kindly_ informed me of your whereabouts. However, there is still the matter of a certain detention I believe I assigned you at your last Quidditch match."

"Dang it," Harry exclaimed under his breath.

"That will be held tonight at five o'clock sharp. Do _not_ be late."

"But Professor, that's right over dinner…"

"Do you think I care, Weasley? If you do not wish to join him I suggest you close your big mouth." Ron did so, staring at the potions master with a mixture of loathing, surprise, and pity, the latter being for Harry. "Well, Potter?"

"I'll be there, _Professor_," Harry snarled through gritted teeth.

"Good. Have a pleasant day," the potions master sneered as he stormed off, robes billowing behind him.

"He hates me," Harry deducted.

"Yeah, mate, he does. But, since you're starting early, you should get out earlier."

"Should, Ron. That doesn't mean I will. Actually, that means Snape will keep me there doing some odd and useless task until three in the morning." Ron's eyes lit up and he smiled maniacally; obviously he had just gotten some bright idea.

"I'll be back soon, Harry!" he yelled, sprinting down the corridor.

"What was he screaming about?" Hermione asked. Harry jumped, looking at Hermione in shock. He hadn't even heard her approaching.

"I've got no idea. What time is it?"

"It's about four o'clock. Why?"

"Because, I have to be in Snape's office for detention in an hour."

"Ouch," Hermione cringed. "I'll save you some dinner, Harry."

"No thanks, I'll probably go down to the kitchens. Or just not eat anything and go straight to bed."

"But Harry, what about all the homework you've missed today?"

"Hermione," Harry whined, "you do realize that Snape-"

"_Professor_ Snape."

"You do realize that _Snape_ will keep me until long past midnight, don't you?"

"Well…" Harry looked at her, one eyebrow raised. "Okay, okay, fine. But you're coming with me right now. If we hurry, you could probably get that Transfiguration essay done before your detention…"

And so the hour Harry had before heading down to his doom in the potions classroom passed in a rushed flurry of homework. Hermione coached him through changing pigs into piggy banks, and they moved onto potions. To Harry's amusement, Snape had spent the entire class period lecturing about the Polyjuice potion. Pretty confident that he wouldn't have much trouble writing the report, Harry hurried down to the dungeons for what would be a grueling and horrific detention, though hopefully not as bad as Umbridge.

"Potter, you're late," Snape hissed as Harry opened up the door. Glancing at a clock, Harry noticed that it was still ten minutes till five. "Go up to the black board, and write _'I must not fight in Quidditch'_ until you run out of chalk. Begin."

Harry paced up to the board and let his gaze drop, along with his hopes of getting out early. There were at least 25 pieces of chalk. Groaning softly, he figured he ought to start as soon as possible. He picked up a piece and was on his third line when the door slammed open, causing Harry's hand to jerk; he hastily wiped away the long mark with the sleeve of his robe. Cho stomped into the room, snatching Harry's chalk and going over to the opposite end of the board, quickly scribbling the same thing Harry was.

Three hours passed, and Harry was only on his eighth piece of chalk. Glaring at Cho, he pressed down as hard as he could, hoping to use up more of the white substance. Glancing back at the board, he was horrified to notice that he had not been writing anything about Quidditch for the past thirty lines, and his sentences were made up mostly of killing Cho or Snape. He was about to pick up an eraser when a loud explosion shook the dungeon.

Harry grabbed the wall in shock and looked over to see Cho doing the same thing, a look of loathing on her face as well. Snape strode over to them a short time later, disgust clearly visible on his face.

"What on earth do you think you are doing?"

"That wasn't us, Professor," Harry managed to spit out before the room quaked again, throwing them to the floor. Suddenly, the room was bathed in blinding sparks of light, and a large number of popping noises filled the dungeon. The ceiling groaned as if it was on the verge of collapsing, and Harry heard Snape give a strangled scream.

It was still to bright to see anything, and suddenly to Harry's right Cho was shrieking like mad. He was about to grab his wand and yell some spell at something when strong arms seized him around the waist, dragging him off. Harry was struggling as much as possible, but to no avail. His captor simply stunned him, and he thought he heard someone laughing as darkness consumed him….

He woke to somewhat of the same environment, with the exception of being able to see. Someone still held him around the middle, and was half-carrying him through the halls of Hogwarts. He could vaguely hear a conversation around him, but was too disoriented to tell what it was about. Reflexes abruptly took over, and Harry swung his arm around, successfully elbowing whoever it was in the mouth. He was dropped to the floor almost immediately, and made to run away as fast as possible when a very familiar someone groaned in pain.

Sparing a look over his shoulder, Harry was astonished to find Sirius sprawled out on the floor, clutching his jaw and moaning in agony. Beside him, Bridget was doubled over, overcome by a fit of giggles. When she had regained her composure she muttered a pain-killing spell and helped Sirius to his feet.

"Ow, Harry! I pity the next Death Eater who tries to capture you."

"Sorry," he replied, shrugging his shoulders. "I thought you _were_ a Death Eater."

"He just wanted to get you out of there before the rest of the plan was put into action," Bridget explained. "Come with us. And try not to smack anyone this time, either."

"Hey, that was self-defense!"

"Yeah, and very good self-defense at that!" Sirius agreed. They led him into what appeared to be a dead end, containing a suit of armor and not much of anything else.

"Uh…" he trailed off in uncertainty.

"Watch." Sirius had a mad glint in his eye, and pointed his wand up at the ceiling, mumbling something. Harry was about to question his actions when the floor suddenly lurched upward and he was thrown into a carpeted room, complete with burning fireplace. It was mostly decorated in red and gold, Gryffindor colors, with a small section that looked somewhat like a library, which was decked out in blue and silver. Anything imaginable needed for pranking, plus what looked like half a Hogwarts' kitchen worth of food was spread around the space.

"Welcome to The Marauders' Chamber, Mr. Potter. And thank you Mr. Padfoot, Ms. Raven, for escorting him here. I am your host, Ms. Sprite, along with Mr. Moony. Please, have a seat." She and Remus were lounging on a sofa, sipping butterbeers.

"You are most welcome, Ms. Sprite," Bridget replied, immediately jumping onto the couch. "I cannot believe you three talked me into this."

"Hey, I resent being included in that," Lupin frowned. "It was Mr. Padfoot and Ms. Sprite's doing, I was simply pulled into it."

"Oh come now, Mr. Moony. You jumped at the prospect of doing a bit of pranking," Sirius replied.

"Only because I wanted to get out of the hospital wing."

"Hey!" shrieked Bridget indignantly.

"Anyway," Heather yelled over the din, "we figured you could use a bit of help, oh young Marauder." Harry gave the Defense teacher a look. "Well, you have to admit, you do have a 'certain disregard for rules', am I right? You need some sort of outlet for it."

"Ms. Raven, Mr. Moony, stop arguing and enjoy the show. And…" Sirius faltered, his eyes resting on Harry. "You need a nickname. Sparky! You know, the phoenix and all? Oh, fine. I officially bequeath you with the temporary nickname, Mr. Prongs II. Anyway, get over here and see what's happening to Snape! And have some food, you're probably pretty hungry by now."

"Do I even want to know what you're doing to him?" Harry asked, gratefully accepting the sandwich Heather offered him as soon as he sat down.

"Depends. Are you in the mood for a bit of humor?" Bridget inquired, grabbing one of the sandwiches as well. Harry stared at a section of the wall that looked a lot like a security camera monitor, showing various parts of the castle. In what were unmistakably the dungeons, Cho could be found, laying on the floor and panting hard. She was covered in purple goo and her robes and hair had been charmed pink. Snape was even more amusing. Large balloons had been tied to his arms and legs and he was floating around the room. His greasy black hair was cut into a Mohawk, and he appeared to be chanting something.

"It's an incantation to get rid of the swarm of mosquitoes," Sirius explained, sensing Harry's confusion. "You can't really see them from here. Pity. Oh well, he's wasting his time anyway. They're not real mosquitoes. But of course, dear old Snivellus doesn't realize that the incantation he's saying is just going to make them multi- oh darn it." Snape had just yelled some spell, ending all of the enchantments, although Cho was still purple. He stormed out of the room, and the monitors showed him moving through Hogwarts at an astounding pace.

"I believe it might be safer if Prongs II and his friends spend the night here, am I correct?" Remus asked. Seeing Snape in a mood far worse than usual caused Harry to nod vigorously as Heather raced out to get Hermione and Ron. She returned a short time later, Ron laughing hysterically and Hermione berating her own professor.

"Sirius, Remus!" Ron gasped between chuckles. "That was hilarious!"

"Well, we couldn't have done it if you hadn't alerted us to the dangers young Prongs II was in. As Marauders, we thank you. The two of you need some nicknames as well," Sirius pondered the two of them for a while. "Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger, you shall have to wait until we find suitable nicknames. For now…"

A large party, rivaling one of the Gryffindor tower after a successful Quidditch game, followed, including a numerous amount of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes products. It only ended when Hermione forced them all to go to bed, claiming that she, Harry, and Ron had school, Sirius and Heather had to teach, and Remus and Bridget should just plain get some rest. That move almost earned her the nickname of Moony II, but both she and Moony I vetoed it. Despite a number of complaints, the students and adults fell asleep not long after in the seemingly unlimited number of rooms at the Eastern end of the chamber.

* * *

With the exception of Harry's vast improvement in Occlumency, nothing very exciting happened throughout the November and December months. Madam Pomfrey and Bridget had declared Remus healthy after a couple of days, during which the vast majority of the student body welcomed him back with open arms, and he returned to working for the Order.

Hermione and Ron were going on holiday with the Weasleys, paid for by a large amoung of money that had suddenly appeared in their vault. Harry knew full well that it was from Sirius; he had given Lupin a large sum of money as well, but Harry kept his mouth shut about it. After all, he had given the twins his Triwizard winnings, and didn't need Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, or Remus, for that matter, thinking he believed they couldn't support themselves.

It was currently the day before Hermione and Ron left for their trip through Italy. Harry had, of course, been invited to come along, but decided to stay at the castle with Sirius, Heather, and Bridget. The three Gryffindors were lounging around the common room, Harry attempting to teach them to become Animagi. The book had been forgotten a long time before, as Hermione and Ron were having rather interesting difficulties that it didn't even come close to discussing.

"No, Ron, I highly doubt you are a housefly. Now concentrate!" Hermione snapped, her eyes still closed.

"But it just seems-Harry, how in the world did you do this so fast!"

"I don't know," he answered wearily.

"Well, what animals do you think we are then?" Hermione asked. Harry was saved the trouble of responding by Sirius and Heather's appearance in the common room.

"Having fun?" Sirius inquired, flopping down into one of the squishy armchairs. Harry screamed in reply, smacking his head on a nearby table. "That good, huh?"

"What are you trying to do, anyway?"

"Professor Windling," Hermione started, ignoring her question, "what animal do I remind you of?"

"Oh…" Heather and Sirius exchanged a mischievous glance.

"You're going about it all wrong," Padfoot explained. "Don't look for the answer. Let it come to you."

"How…how?" Run stuttered, looking at the Defense professors in utter confusion.

"Just close your eyes," Heather told him.

"We already tried that!" Hermione objected.

"Do it again! Now, block out everything."

"Including you?" Ron whispered.

"Including me," she agreed. "Find you…inner peace, happy place, whatever you want to call it."

"You think they found it?" Sirius wondered aloud a few minutes later.

"Judging by the fact that they're not responding, I'd have to say yes."

"At least their not fainting like I did," Harry recollected.

"That was just odd, I'm sorry," Sirius admitted. "You had me pretty scared there for awhile." Harry was about to say something in return when Hermione jumped up, shouting at the top of her lungs.

"I'm a cat! A CAT!"

"Hermione, keep it down!" Harry shushed. "I think Charlie might have heard you over in Romania!"

"But Harry, I'm a cat! They're smart, and pretty, and graceful, and I'm a cat! Did you hear Sirius, Heather? I'm a cat!"

"Wonderful, Hermione," Heather smiled, using every bit of willpower she possessed not to burst out laughing.

"What about him?" Harry gestured to Ron, who was staring blankly at the portrait hole.

"It's just taking him a bit longer. Maybe he's got two animals fighting it out for the Animagus form," Sirius guessed.

"That actually happens?" Harry asked, looking at Sirius doubtfully.

"Sometimes, yes," assured Heather. "Two different personalities will fight over the dominant one. It takes awhile."

"Oh, yes! I read about one instance in _A Contemporary Guide to Animagi _where a man was stuck in a trance for two days!" At that point, Ron blinked several times, shaking his head to clear his thoughts.

"So?" Harry prodded.

"You don't even want to know," he remarked.

"Oh come one, it can't be that-" Ron cut Sirius off with a shout halfway between that of an injured owl and an enraged manticore.

"I'm a goldfish. A GOLDFISH! Would you be happy if you where a goldfish? No, I don't think so!"

"Hey, it could be worse. You could be a bug. Like Rita Skeeter," Hermione reminded him.

"Plus, you can breathe underwater," Harry pointed out. "That would have been rather useful in fourth year."

"Your nickname is officially Bubbles."

"Sirius, that is the most random thing I have ever heard," Heather told him. "But I like it."

"No! Not Bubbles!" But, much to Ron's dismay, the name stuck. Both Harry and Hermione used it whenever speaking to him, whether he was packing, playing chess, or on the platform waiting for the train. Unable to change it, Ron accepted his newly acquired name, but began to call Harry 'Sparky' in return, in honor of Moutohora's mascot.

**There! It was almost three weeks. Next chapter should be up not too long from now, part of it was going to end up in this one but was moved at the last minute. And sorry, the new character's also coming next chapter. Oh well. Toodles and reviews!**

**P.S. Anyone who can give us a suitable nickname for Hermione will be told anything they want to about this story. Help us! Think kitty thoughts!**


	35. Christmas with the Marauders

**Emm-Really really sorry that this is so late! We had exams!  
**_KCB-We are going to attempt (attempt being the key word) to finish this befotre HBP comes out.  
_**Meaning we hope to complete this in 37 days.  
**_Wish us luck!  
_Disclaimer-

We're not J.K. Rowling. We're not even British (**emm-actually, I'm part English**. _kcb-whatever_). We do not own this story.

Chapter 35

Christmas with the Marauders

Christmas morning, Harry awoke to a splash of cold water from Sirius's wand. Changing as quickly as possible, he hurried down to the common room, finding Bridget, Heather, and even Remus there, already opening presents. He soon joined them, finding a great deal more presents for himself than in past years. Among them were a set of Quidditch balls from Sirius, numerous chocolates from Remus, books on Aurors and defense from Heather and Bridget, and a moving statue of a phoenix from Ron and Hermione, as well as the usual jumper from Mrs. Weasley. After awhile of Sirius's pleading, the group consented to go down and have breakfast.

"You know, this has got to be one of the best Christmases I've ever had," Harry stated as they walked to the Great Hall. Sirius chuckled, wrapping an arm around his godson's shoulders.

"Just wait-after breakfast we'll play Quidditch, and then you can learn 'God Rest ye Merry, Hippogriffs'." Heather turned and stared at Sirius in horror.

"You-sing-hippogriffs?"

"Hey, I sing just fine, thank you. Don't you agree, Harry? Harry? Helloooooo?"

"I-uh-what? She's-uh-sorry-what did you say…?"

"MISS WINDLING?" Something shot out of the Great Hall and came skidding to a halt in front of the Defense Professor. "MISS WINDLING!"

It was a teenage girl, looking to be about Harry's age. Strawberry blonde hair with a streak of red was framing two light green eyes, wide open in shock. She was wearing mint colored robes to match her eyes, but they seemed to be cut in a different style.

"Ni-Nicole? Nicole Harrison?" Heather stared at the girl looking thoroughly surprised.

"You're a WITCH?" they both shouted at the same time.

"I-uh-take it you two know each other?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, Miss Windling was my second grade teacher! And you're Sirius Black!"

Sirius was about to explain the increasingly annoying story of his innocence when the girl grabbed his hand and shook it.

"You are soooooooooooooooooo awesome!" she shrieked.

"He's – what?" Remus asked bewilderedly.

"Dude, he broke out of Azkaban! That's, like, incredible! And besides, all us rebel Americans thought you were innocent anywho! But I can_not_ wait to tell Kristi that I met you! And Jess would be, like, sooooooooooooooooooooo psyched to hear everything!"

"You seem to have gotten louder since we last saw each other," Windling remarked.

"Well, _DUH_! Last time you saw me I was, like, eight years old!"

"Did you know that you were magical? Because if you did, why would Heather have taught you at a Muggle school?" Bridget inquired.

"Of course I knew I was magical! My dad was the Vice President of Magic. But my mom was a Muggle and thought I should go to some stupid Muggle elementary school before Salem."

"The Salem Witches' Institute?" Harry asked, suddenly jumping into the conversation.

"Yeah. It's gonna take some time to get used to guys in school. And aren't you Harry Potter?"

"Er-yeah, that's me…I think."

"You think?"

"Wait…" Heather started, "Your parents…you said…"

"Voldemort's started taking over other countries. Since my dad was high up in the system and my mom was a Muggle, they were a perfect target. I wasn't supposed to start here in England until next year, but…they attacked…my big brother Chris took me here, but they went after him, too. He's on the run now…"

"I'm sorry," Sirius stated lamely.

"It's alright, I'll just need some time to deal with it."

"I see you have gotten acquainted." Dumbledore had approached the group without anyone noticing.

"Um, hello, Dumbledore," Heather responded.

"I would suggest having some breakfast. It is rather tasty. And besides," he continued, eyes twinkling, "why deny Nicole her first meal at Hogwarts?"

"What have we been doing!" Sirius screamed sharply. "Come with me." He quickly led Nikki to the tables piled high with Christmas food. "You cannot wait any longer to have your first Hogwarts feast!"

"Okay…what is this?" She held up a cracker, cocking her head in confusion.

"A cracker," Remus explained, taking a seat next to McGonagall.

"A cracker? What do-I mean-but how-uh-yeah, what? Aren't you supposed to eat crackers? Like bread? 'Cause I don't think…"

"Nicole dear, it's a British thing," Windling told her. She and Bridget sat down next to Dumbledore, leaving Sirius to gently shove the very dazed and mesmerized Harry into a chair next to the still suspicious American.

"But what are you supposed to do with it?"

"Here." Remus took one part and coaxed Nicole through the process of using wizard crackers. "Just grab the end of it, then pull on three, okay? One…two...three!" The cracker exploded and Nikki shrieked loudly; when the smoke cleared, she was staring open-mouthed at a purple fez.

"Sweet! The only problem is, it doesn't go with my outfit."

"I can fix that," Heather assured her. With a wave of her wand, Nikki's robes and fez had both turned a pale pink.

"Ooh, me likey! Now," she began, holding up her goblet, "what on earth kind of orange juice is this?"

"It's not orange, it's pumpkin juice," Bridget explained.

"It's what now? You British people drink what?"

"Pumpkin juice, Nicole. Try it," Heather prodded. She stared at it as if it was about to bite her, and then took one very hesitant sip.

"Ugh. I suppose you want me to drink tea and eat crumpets too, right?"

"Mr. Potter!" McGonagall snapped quite suddenly. "The Slytherin team has rescheduled your Quidditch match."

"For when," Harry asked, dreading the answer.

"The weekend after holiday."

"What! We still need to replace Kirke and Sloper! Slytherin can't do this!"

"Which positions do they play?" Nikki asked, fiddling with the tassel on her fez.

"They're both Beaters," he replied dejectedly.

"Hello, Captain Potter. May I request a tryout?"

"You play Beater?" Sirius asked, staring at her, unconvinced.

"When you go to an all girls school, you don't have much of a choice for players. And honestly, Salem has won the All-American Quidditch Tournament for ten years in a row."

"We'll see how you play after breakfast. And did we ever introduce ourselves?" Remus inquired.

"No, I don't think so," Bridget agreed. "Let's see, that's Heather, obviously, and Sirius is her fiancé, they're the Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, then I'm Bridget deGrasse, the resident healer-in-training, I'll take over for Madam Pomfrey who is getting really tired of some of these students, Remus Lupin over there is the former Defense professor…"

"And werewolf," he remarked darkly.

"You're a werewolf?" Nicole questioned.

"Unfortunately…"

"That's cool, dude. My friend Michelle's a lycie."

"A what?" Bridget stuttered.

"It's American slang for a werewolf," Heather explained. "Continuing the introduction, this is Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster, you probably already know that, and Minerva McGonagall, the Transfiguration teacher and your head of house, I presume?"

"They told me all about the house thing already, don't worry. I was sorted before breakfast."

"Good, then you _are_ in Gryffindor. That's where all the best people are put."

"Hey!" Bridget yelled.

"You're just upset because you know it's true," Heather replied with a smirk. "Oh, and then there's Harry. Where in the world are the rest of the professors?"

"Snape's down in the dungeons tending to some potions, and Sybil is in her office crystal gazing…" McGonagall started.

"Like anyone expected them to come down here. Or wanted them to, for that matter."

"Professor Black, they are your colleagues and I expect you to treat them as such," Dumbledore reprimanded, looking both amused and annoyed.

"Flitwick's grading papers," the Transfiguration professor continued, "and I don't know where the rest are."

"You'll meet them soon enough. Oh, Sirius, I have something for you after breakfast. It wouldn't fit under the tree," Heather remarked. The animagus's eyes lit up and he started eating three times as fast. By the time breakfast was done he was bouncing up and down like a five year old, urging everyone to get going. With nothing else to do, Nicole had joined them, eager to learn more British customs. Heather led the group into the grounds near the Quidditch pitch, explaining things to Nikki as she went.

"Heather, where in the world are we going?" Bridget panted as they trudged up a particularly large and steep hill.

"Almost there!" she called over her shoulder. "Aha! There it is!" Sirius bolted to the top of the hill and the large package she pointed at. The thing was wrapped in the exact shade of pink that had been used for Sirius at Harry's birthday party. Said Marauder turned to eye his fiancée quizzically.

"I helped," Remus admitted.

"Well, that explains a lot."

"Sirius, just open it!" Heather cried exasperatedly. He complied and began tearing the paper off as if his life depended on it. When he'd finished, he fell to his knees, just staring at the gift.

"Sirius, I-I hope you like it. It's been fixed up a little: some new technology has been added, it's gotten a new paint job…Sirius?" He turned around, not bothering with the tears streaming down his face. "Are you okay?" In response, he rushed up to her and they hugged, giving Harry a clear view of whatever it was-a motorcycle. A flying motorcycle.

"Heather…Heather, do you have any idea what this means to me? It's-there is no word to describe…thank you so much…"

"Sirius, I didn't realize…but, seeing your reaction, I'm assuming it means a lot to you," she replied, almost crying as well.

"Where-where was it?" Sirius asked, attempting to restrain his tears.

"The Ministry had confiscated it; I managed to get it back after you were cleared."

"C'mon!" Sirius, who had suddenly perked up, gathered a very startled Heather in his arms and carried her over to the bike. He placed her on the seat, sat down in front of her, and revved the engine.

"Sirius, do remember the last time I was on this thing?"

"You'll be fine," he promised with a smirk. "And yes, I do. I won't let you fall into any lakes this time."

"SIRI-AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Her yell turned to a shriek as the motorcycle took off, gaining speed until it rose into the air. She grabbed onto Sirius's waste so tightly that he couldn't breathe for a few seconds. He turned and gave her a very amused glare, and she loosened her grip a little, if only to ensure that he watched where they were going instead of her. After a few minutes of quiet and peaceful flying, Heather relaxed a bit and laid her head on Sirius's shoulder. Seizing the opportunity, he gunned the engine and shot up into the air on an almost 90 degree angle.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" she screamed over the roar of the motorcycle and air rushing past.

"FLYING! WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?" He chose that moment to flip the bike upside-down, leaving Heather to seize Sirius around the neck so as not to fall off. He turned it back the other way soon after for fear of being suffocated, then came in slowly to land. The second they had touched down, Heather flung herself onto the ground, gasping for breath. Sirius, however, jumped off a bit more gracefully, helped Heather to her feet, and kissed her on the cheek.

"Puppy love!" Remus shouted in amusement.

"Oh, Remus, would you like a go on this? I'm sure the giant squid would be happy to see you again…"

"Don't you dare Padfoot!" he warned.

"Then quit making fun of my Animagus form!"

"Quit giving me reasons to make fun of your Animagus form!" he retorted.

"Alright now, children," Harry shouted over their argument, "are you going to behave or do I have to separate you?" Remus gave him a look clearly saying 'shut up,' but Sirius grinned maniacally at his godson.

"Get on here already, will you?" he ordered, mounting the motorcycle.

"With you driving? Seems pretty risky to me, Sirius…" Harry remarked.

"Oh, you'd rather fly it yourself then?"

"On second thought," he began, getting on the bike behind Sirius.

"Good boy."

"You're the dog here, Sirius, remember?" Remus asked.

"Moony, you're starting to get really annoying."

"It's my job!" he yelled as Sirius raced off, Harry clutching the back of his robes in shock.

"Warn me the next time you do that, alright?" Harry shouted.

"Why?"

"Never mind. So…how fast can you make this thing go?" Sirius turned around and smirked mischievously.

"Let's find out, shall we?" He accelerated so fast that Harry almost fell off, and yet the bike was still gaining speed. They eventually got so fast that Sirius drove the motorcycle right across the lake, then flew into the air, did a flip, and skidded to a halt in front of Remus, splattering his robes with snow. By that time, both Sirius and Harry were laughing hysterically and their hair was messier then it ever had been, which was saying something for Harry.

"Okay, anyone else?" Sirius asked as Harry unsteadily got up. Nikki immediately jumped on where Harry had been. "Ready?" She nodded eagerly and he shot into the air, spinning a couple of times.

"Could you slow it down a bit?" Nicole asked over the wind.

"What, too fast?" he teased, but complied nonetheless. Nikki then did something that Sirius never expected her to do-she stood up on the seat, moved into a sort of handstand, and flipped into the air, landing in front of Sirius.

"Mind if I take over for awhile?"

"No, not at all," he stated weakly, stunned by what she had just done.

"Good. Get ready!" She let out an excited shriek and they plunged into a swirling dive. Nikki took out her wand, leaving a trail of dark blue sparks in the air behind them. After a large number of other dangerous maneuvers, she landed in front of a very surprised audience.

"Look!" Remus motioned at the sky to Sirius, who glanced up and noticed that Nikki had been skywriting. The shining blue lights read, "Nikki was here. Brits watch out!"

"Thank you, thank you," she bowed, getting off the bike.

"Forget the tryouts," Harry remarked, "welcome to the Gryffindor Quidditch team!"

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	36. A Lot of Things Blow Up

**this is long! We have 100 reviews! Congratulations to YamiClara for being our 100th reviewer. No, you do not get a special prize.**

_Or a fabulous vacation. Or a million dollars. Or a year's supply of chocolate. Or a pet zebra of yourvery own._

**Anyway, we still don't own anything but the plot, Heather, Nikki, or Bridget.**

Chapter 36

A Lot of Things Blow Up

Over the course of the holidays, Nikki and Harry became remarkably close. They could often be found sitting by the fire in the Gryffindor Common Room, helping each other with homework. Nikki happened to be an expert at Potions, saying that her mother learned it, as it was the only magical kind of thing that a Muggle could do, and had taught her long before she was accepted at Salem. Harry, in turn, helped Nicole with the other subjects, to get her up to speed with the rest of the class. Sirius, Heather, Bridget and Remus also came by to help, and were unfortunately poisoning the already mischievous Nikki, turning her into their "Perfect Student" and Filch's "Perfect Nightmare."

Ron, Hermione, and Ginny came back to Hogwarts a few days before the term started again, and found the castle almost deserted. They ended up searching for a good hour before coming across any signs of life, which happened to be Sirius and Heather eating lunch in the kitchens.

"Oh, hello!" Heather greeted. "We didn't expect you back so soon or we would have set up a welcoming party!"

"How come I never got a welcoming party?" replied Sirius.

"For most of the times you would have been welcomed you happened to be on the run from the Ministry, that's why not! Anyway, what's up?" she asked, turning from her chicken and giving Sirius the opportunity to seize it. "Hey! Get your own, the House Elves will be happy to oblige!"

"Perhaps they'd be even happier if they were free!"

"Oy, Hermione, give it a rest with the House Elves, will you?" cried Ron desperately. "They don't want to be free and your darn speeches aren't going to change a thing!"

"Anyway," Ginny interrupted, "we were looking for Harry. Do you know where he is?"

"He's in the Gryffindor Common Room," Heather stated immediately.

"Tread cautiously, though," Sirius warned, "he's probably snogging."

"Snogging who?" Ginny shrieked.

"Besides, we already looked there!" Hermione told them.

"Really now? Hmmmm…" Sirius looked up in the ceiling in thought while Heather got up and paced through the room.

"Did you check the library?" she asked.

"Yep," Ron intoned.

"Great Hall?"

"Already been there," Hermione assured her.

"Uh…Snape's office? Sorry, sorry, just kidding, don't look at me like that. Okay, how about the Astronomy Tower?"

"Why on earth would Harry be there?" Ginny shouted.

"I don't know, you looked everywhere else, why not-"

"The Quidditch Pitch!" Sirius screamed, jumping into the air.

"We already looked there, too! In fact, that's the first place we looked!" Ron yelled. Sirius sat back down in defeat.

"What about the Room of Requirement?" Heather questioned.

"Checked," Hermione remarked.

"I don't have a clue then."

"Great," Ron sighed dejectedly. "We're never going to find Harry."

"Ron, if you were looking for me, why didn't you just get the Marauder's Map out of my trunk? You know exactly where it is."

"Oh, I never even thought-Harry!" Harry had indeed just walked into the kitchens, his arm around a rather pretty blonde girl that Ginny, Hermione, and Ron had never seen before. The two Weasleys stared, open-mouthed, at them in shock, the two Defense Against the Dark Arts professors burst out laughing, and Hermione kept attempting to speak and failing miserably. She finally got her mouth to work after four or five tries and uttered one word: "What?" Nikki let out a couple of chuckles, then gave Hermione her hand.

"Hi! I'm Nikki. Nicole Harrison."

"H-hello…"

"You must be Hermione. And you're Ron and Ginny. Harry's told me a lot about you."

"Where did you come from?" Ron blurted out.

"The sky."

"Really?"

"Ron!" Ginny elbowed her brother in the stomach. "She's joking, you idiot! What he means is, where are you from?"

"America."

"Salem Witches' Institute?" Hermione inquired.

"Yep," Harry replied. "She's going to be at Hogwarts until she graduates."

"What about your parents?" Ginny asked curiously. Harry visibly blanched and shot a nervous glance at Nikki.

"They're-well, they're dead," she responded.

"OH! Sorry, sorry," Ginny apologized over and over.

"It's okay, it's fine, you didn't know," Nikki told her. "America's just getting Voldemort problems, that's all."

"He's there?" Ron questioned, wide-eyed.

"Well, no. But large amounts of Death Eaters are there. And on a killing spree."

"Nikki, I've got a question that has nothing to do with evil wizards," declared Ron.

"Okay…"

"If Hermione was a cat, what would her name be?"

"Sekhmet," she replied instantly. Hermione gave a soft 'oh!' of understanding, but Ron and Ginny were completely lost.

"It's the Egyptian cat goddess of wisdom," Hermione explained. "And it's perfect! Now, what about Harry? Sparky is a little…"

"Ridiculous?" Harry put in.

"Not as ridiculous as Bubbles, mate."

"I think Flame is a good name for a phoenix," Heather piped up, still fighting over Sirius for her chicken.

"Flame. I like it."

"What about me?" Ron cried indignantly.

"Bubbles," all other occupants of the room replied.

"NO! No, please! Anything but Bubbles! I AM NOT BUBBLES!" Harry and Nikki smirked and mumbled some incantation. Moments later, the word 'Bubbles' appeared above Ron's head in big orange letters, along with an arrow pointing at him, and Ginny fell to the floor, laughing hysterically.

"There!" Harry cried triumphantly. "Now you're Bubbles."

"And that dive, Harry! It was awesome! Krum couldn't have done it better than you did, mate!" It was four weeks after their Quidditch match, and the Gryffindor team was still talking excitedly about it. With Nikki's replacement of Sloper, who had been all too happy to leave, Gryffindor had positively flattened Slytherin, the final score being 360 to 10. Their one and only point had been a penalty shot, as Nikki was a bit boisterous about hitting Slytherins with Bludgers.

"And Ron, that last save was just spectacular!" Harry joked as they walked to Hogsmeade. The trip was the first official date for both Harry and Nikki and Ron and Hermione. Harry had also found it a lot easier to ask Nikki than Cho.

"Hey, it didn't go through the hoops, did it?"

"No," Nikki agreed, "but it did hit you in the head."

"A Keeper does everything to ensure that the opposing team doesn't score," Ron replied loftily.

"Yeah, but Ron, most of the time one would use their hands. And from being your sister, I know you've already lost enough brain cells."

"HEY!"

"Ginevra Weasley!" a loud voice commanded from behind them. She turned around stiffly, then relaxed when she saw Heather and Sirius strolling towards them. "That was one of the best comebacks I've ever heard!" Sirius praised. "You'd make a very good Marauder."

"Quit poisoning the students minds with pranks, that's my job, I was here first," Heather argued.

"Technically, I was here three years ago as a dog, remember?"

"And technically, I got off the train, into the boat, and into the castle before you did when we were first years, so ha!"

"They sound like an old married couple," Hermione muttered.

"Well, they are old, and they're almost married, they're engaged…" Harry replied.

"We heard that, Mr. Flame," Sirius warned.

"That was my intention!"

"Intentions can lead to very bad consequences, Harry," Heather informed him.

"Marauder rule number 35."

"29, Sirius."

"35!"

"29!"

"You actually wrote these down?" Hermione interrupted.

"No," they replied. Ron was about to say something when Hermione suddenly grabbed him by the arm and led him into Hogsmeade; Harry hadn't even realized that they had arrived. He took Nikki's hand and they both immediately followed Ron and Hermione, who were headed for the Three Broomsticks. After their butterbeers, the four of them split up, Ron and Hermione going who-knew-where, and Harry giving Nikki a grand tour of all the shops.

"And this is the Shrieking Shack. All the people here think it's haunted, but what they heard was actually Remus. During…"

"Got it, say no more. What's over there?"

"Nothing much. Mountains, some grass, the cave that Sirius stayed in…"

"He lived in a cave?"

"Long story."

"Okay then."

"He was still on the run from the Ministry in our fourth year."

"Oh, okay Ron. Wait, Ron? What are you doing here?" He smiled sheepishly, still holding onto Hermione.

"She says she has something that the two of you need to do." Nikki's eyes lit up, and grinned.

"Thanks for reminding me," she told Hermione. "You two can wander around if you like, I don't know when we'll be back. Is Bridget here yet?"

"Yeah, she's waiting with them."

"What is it you need to do?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"Oh, nothing that would concern you…yet," Hermione remarked as they walked off towards Zonko's.

"I'm scared, mate."

"So am I, Ron. And yet, here you are, leaving Hermione alone again. Didn't you do that enough during the Quidditch game?"

"She was sitting with Hagrid, Bridget, and Heather, thank you!"

"Sure, keep telling yourself that…"

"Just because your girlfriend is wicked on a broom doesn't mean you can make fun of mine!"

"Ronald Bilius, I am not making fun of Hermione! I'm reprimanding you for not putting her best interests at heart," he smirked.

"You know," Ron declared suddenly, "I think we should go into the Shrieking Shack, just for old times sake."

"Sure, why not." The two of them wandered in, sat down in a couple of chairs, and continued talking.

"Remember the first time we were in here?" Ron asked.

"Do you think I could ever forget something like a dog that happens to be an innocent mass murderer carrying my best friend into a tree?"

"True. _Incarcerous_!" Harry suddenly found himself bound to his chair while Ron laughed hysterically.

"What on earth was that for?"

"For being a prat! And I didn't get the spell right, you're supposed to be gagged. Let me try again."

"Ron, what are-"

"_Incarcerous_!"

"Mmmmmmm!"

"There. Who's got the last laugh now, Harry James Potter? That'd be me! You lost! Ha! But what would make this even better is if you were trapped in a closet!" He dragged the chair and struggling Harry into a small room off to the side, took his wand, then closed the door. "I'll be back for you before we leave, don't worry!" he shouted through the wood, then casually sauntered out and onto the street.

Harry eventually gave up struggling and began stomping on the floor, hoping that someone would hear him. As luck would have it, the door opened again a good hour and a half after Ron had left and soft footsteps could be heard coming closer to the door.

"Harry?" It was Nikki's voice, sounding rather nervous. Harry kicked the door and she screamed loudly. She then wrenched open the door, gave some kind of battle cry, then hit Harry on the head, knocking him out.

"Oops," she gasped, throwing the candlestick she had found on the floor and trying desperately to wake him up. All of a sudden, more footsteps could be heard, and she quickly ran all the way into the closet and closed the door. A small group of people was dragging something, and then dropping it unceremoniously onto the ground.

"Alright, runt, answer us! Where-is-Harry-Potter?"

"I already told you, I don't know!" Nikki held back a cry; that was Ron's voice, and she recognized the woman who had asked the question as the Death Eater who had killed her parents: Bellatrix Lestrange.

"You're his best friend, of course you know!"

"I DON'T! I haven't seen him since this morning!"

"I'm sure," another voice taunted, but Nicole didn't know who it was. "Would you remember where he is if, perhaps, you had a chat with a fun little orange curse?"

"I don't know where-"

"_Crucio_!" Ron screams echoed through the Shack, and Nikki had to bite her lip not to shout in anger.

"We'll be back in awhile," Bellatrix assured him. "If you still don't know where he is, we have every intention of blowing this place into tiny pieces-with you in it. Come on, Malfoy." Once she was sure they had left, Nicole untied Harry and opened the door.

"Nicole…" Ron rasped, struggling against his own ropes.

"You're a git for locking Harry in here, but you've also got to be one of the bravest people I know. You stood up to Bellatrix Lestrange!" She bent down to free Ron, then helped him to his feet.

"What's wrong with Harry?"

"I kind of knocked him out with a candlestick. Do you have your wand?"

"No, they took mine and Harry's. Nikki, what in the world are we going to do?" he cried in anguish. "They're guarding that door!"

"Didn't you say there was some kind of secret passage way going from the school into the Shrieking Shack? Does it not go back or something?"

"Oh, duh, right. Give me Harry, this is my fault, I'll carry him."

"Ron," Nicole argued, "I'm the one that knocked him out. And besides, couldn't we just use Ennervate?"

"Haven't learned that one yet."

"Darn it, neither have I."

"Just hand over my best friend so we can get out of here!" Ron demanded. They slowly walked through the passageway, with Ron leading since Nikki kept running into the wall. After about an hour, an explosion shook the tunnel, throwing Ron and Nikki to the ground.

"What was that?" Nikki asked nervously.

"Don't know, but let's…"

"THE TUNNEL'S COLLAPSING!"

"What?"

"Look!" Nikki pointed over her shoulder to rocks falling from the ceiling.

"We're almost at the end, we can make it! Just run! I'll follow!" Nicole sprinted through the passageway with Ron some feet behind her, going as fast as he could. She made it to the end when another tremor shook the tunnel, and behind her, rocks narrowly missed falling on top of her head. They had, however, completely cut her off from Ron.

"Ron! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" his muffled voice responded, " but I can't get through! I'm going back the other way!"

"Not without a wand, you're not!" She found a small hole in the rocks and threw her own wand through it.

"But what about you? There are Death Eaters out there!"

"I'll manage. I'm very resourceful. Now go, before the rest of this falls. And do me a favor and use a shield spell, will you? And be careful." Ron gave his assurance that he would, and Nikki climbed through the opening, only to be smacked by the Whomping Willow. "Darn those British Trees!"

Back in the passageway, Ron was not having much more luck. He managed to find his way through the tunnel, and climbed into the Shrieking Shack. Said shack had morphed into a blazing inferno, and even with a wand, both he and the unconscious Harry were slightly burned by the time they got out. Ron finally got to the door, flung it open, and dragged Harry out. What he found, though, made him sick. Hogwarts students and the city's residents were running and screaming everywhere as Death Eaters shouted spell after spell. Trees and homes were on fire all around him, and children crying were a common sight.

"This is disgusting," Nikki suddenly panted to his left. She appeared to have run all the way from Hogwarts. "Ron, your cloak is on fire!" He yelled in shock, then grabbed his cloak and threw it on the ground, stomping it for good measure.

"Well," he shivered in the cold air, "that takes care of that."

"Give Harry to me, Ron, you look like you're going to faint."

"Seems like a very good option at the moment," he replied, handing Harry to her as Hermione raced up to them.

"Thank goodness you're alright! What did the Death Eaters do to him?"

"Death Eaters nothing," Nikki told her, "I whacked him on the head with a candlestick." Hermione gave her a strange look, then whipped out her wand.

"_Ennervate_!" Harry opened his eyes and shook his head a little.

"What happened?" he moaned, rubbing the spot where Nicole had hit him.

"Death Eaters," Hermione muttered, waving her hand at the chaos. Harry suddenly shot out of Nikki's arms and looked wide-eyed behind them. Hermione noticed whatever it was, too, and shakily pointed her wand at it. Turning around, both Nikki and Ron saw something to make their hearts stop: what appeared to be the full ranks of Voldemort's Death Eaters. Both Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange started saying something, and suddenly the four students were flying in a rush of colors. They woke up in a dungeon of sorts, all bound.

"I have had enough of being tied up!" Harry yelled to know one in particular.

"Well, tough luck. We're stuck here for awhile," Hermione reminded him.

"You know Ron, this is all your fault," remarked Harry. "If you hadn't tied me to a chair…"

"Well, that wouldn't have made any difference, I'd still be tied up!"

"No one cares about you, Ron!" Nikki shouted in exasperation.

"I CARE ABOUT RON!"

"Who cares if you care?" Nikki replied coldly.

"I CARE IF I CARE!" Hermione screamed.

"Weasley ruins everything, Weasley is a ding-a-ling, That's why Death Eaters all sing, Weasley is our king."

"Would you shut up, Harry? You know how much I hate that song!"

"Weasley's brain is made of tin, With him we're all chucked in the bin…"

"Harry, that doesn't even make sense!" Hermione interrupted. "Just give it a rest!"

"He's evil if being stupid's a sin," Nikki continued, "But Weasley is our King!"

"This isn't helping us any!" Ron announced. "And besides, didn't you say I was one of the bravest people you knew?"

"I might have, yeah. There is, however, a difference between cowardice and stupidity."

"Would you all just drop it," Hermione groaned.

"Okay, Ron, I'm sorry. There, happy?"

"Why would you call Ron the bravest person you knew?" Harry asked.

"He stood up to Bellatrix Lestrange, Lucius Malfoy, and the Cruciatus Curse when they asked where you were," Nikki told him.

"What?" Hermione breathed. "Oh, Ron!"

"Ha!" Harry suddenly shouted.

"Harry, I doubt this is anything to laugh at. I think he's cracked-" he was cut off by a trill from the bird that was flying around their heads. The three of them looked up to see Harry in his Animagus form, parading proudly around the room.

"Okay, we're all glad you're free. Now do you mind untying us?" Nikki whispered urgently. He swooped down and sliced the ropes with his talons, then transformed back. Nikki grabbed a pin out of her hair, using it to unlock the door, and the four silently crept down the hallways.

In a matter of minutes, they had found their wands, which were sitting on a table in plain sight. Harry turned into the phoenix, grabbed the wands, and then handed them to Nikki and Hermione. They then snuck past what appeared to be the only two Death Eaters in the house, who were too busy chatting to notice them.

"What was our Master thinking, putting them at Riddle Mansion?"

"Probably something to do with that graveyard, remember, from two years ago?"

"How could I forget my Master rising?" The two Death Eaters seemed quite young, compared to most, which disturbed Harry. What Krum had said about Pettigrew recruiting school children appeared to be right.

Things seemed to be going fairly well, or as well as escaping from Voldemort could be expected when a pack of exploding snap cards suddenly fell out of Ron's pocket. They made a popping noise, startling both Hermione and Nikki, who turned and fired unknown spells at the deck. The four Gryffindors turned to look at each other, then back at the cards.

"Uh, now what?" Ron wondered out loud. He was answered when the pack burst into flames, quickly engulfing everything around it. Harry, Hermione, Nikki, and Ron screamed and ran full out until they reached the doors, which surprisingly opened without any locking charms or magic. They fell into the snow outside the giant house to watch the smoke rising out of it.

"That fire must be magical, it's spreading tremendously fast," Hermione deducted. Harry was about to respond when the shrieks of the two Death Eaters pierced the air, then abruptly stopping as the house came tumbling to the ground. Ron looked down at the smoldering ashes, while Nikki said what everyone was feeling.

"Oh, dang it!"

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	37. Hermione Granger's MidLife Crisis

**This chapter was supposed to be humorous, but we're not quite sure if that's what we got or not. Hmm. Anyway, check our profile for notes about lots of things that we don't feel like putting in this chapter. That will be all, have a good day.**

**Disclaimer-we STILL don't own Harry Potter. J.K. won't give us the rights, for some odd reason...**

Chapter 37

Hermione Granger's Mid-life Crisis 

"We killed someone…" Hermione moaned.

"Yeah, with Exploding Snap Cards," Ron replied.

"But we killed someone…we murdered…"

"It's a war," responded Harry coldly. "People are going to die, there's no other way."

"But we killed someone! We just murdered two Death Eaters! WE KILLED THEM!"

"Hermione, give it a rest, will you?" Ron asked exasperatedly.

"This is going to go on my permanent record!"

"Hermione, there is no such thing as a permanent record," Nikki told her. "Some idiot made that up so all the kiddies would be perfect little angels." Hermione looked at her for a second, then dropped to the ground.

"SO? We killed someone!"

"Give it a rest!" Nikki screamed back, and they soon got into a catfight. Ron and Harry looked on in shock and amusement as Hermione attempted to yank Nicole's hair out. She in turn ripped Hermione's Prefect badge off of her robes.

"Ron, this is all your fault. Your girlfriend is slapping my girlfriend!"

"Who said she was my girlfriend?" Ron asked in reply.

"I did! You went on a date with her! And then you locked me in a cupboard! Do you realize what memories that brings up?"

"Well, you were interrupting our so-called date!"

"I was not!"

"YOU WERE TOO!" Ron and Harry were soon rolling on the ground, punching each other and yelling a few not-very-nice things. They eventually got mixed up with Hermione and Nikki's fight, and if anyone was looking at the Riddle Mansion at that point, they would have a giant pile of ashes and four teenagers attacking each other in front of it.

Hermione suddenly stood up, holding out her arms to stop the fighting. Ron had Nikki in a headlock, while Harry had his arms around Ron's legs in an attempt to knock him to the ground. They froze, and, as a result, came crash-landing on top of each other in a pile of legs, arms, and robes. Once they had calmed down enough to listen, Hermione gestured toward their surroundings.

"We don't have any clue where we are!"

"So?" Nikki got up, lunged at Hermione and knocked her to the ground. "What does that have to do with anything?" Harry and Ron ran forward to restrain them, and the two girls called a truce. It was then that Harry stared at the remains of the Riddle Mansion and came to the conclusion of where they were: the very same graveyard where Cedric had died and Voldemort had been reborn.

"Uh…guys?" he muttered shakily.

"If it doesn't have something to do with our location or how to get out of it, I don't care," Hermione snapped.

"I know where we are."

"Great. Just brilliant. Where?" demanded Ron.

"The graveyard."

"That doesn't help," Nikki replied.

"No, _THE_ graveyard. You know, with Cedric, Voldemort, Death Eaters…that graveyard."

"Oh. Oh!" Hermione gasped. "Oh, that one…we should probably leave."

"Right," Ron agreed.

"Anyone care to point us in the direction of Hogwarts?" Nikki, who had already heard about Harry's "adventures" in first through fifth year, questioned.

"_Point me_," Harry whispered after snatching Hermione's wand. He looked up at his three companions and shrugged. "That way's North."

"Peachy," Nicole exclaimed dryly. "Whole lot of good that rubbish does…oh no, I'm turning British."

"Well," Hermione mumbled, making lines in the air with her finger, "we know that the sun rises through that tower…the lake is that way…East and West…if that is North…but this is backwards…through the Astronomy tower, Orion is to the left, so that would be South…no, East…"

"Don't you just love it when she makes so much sense like that, mate?" Ron inquired.

"Ronald! Hush, I'm trying to think!" Harry and Nicole exchanged looks, then Harry suddenly remembered something.

"Wait! I had a dream about this place! I was flying an owl!"

"Do you remember which direction you went?" Hermione asked eagerly.

"Well…no. I was focusing more on the rest of it." Ron groaned in disappointment and kicked the stump Nikki was sitting on. He spent the next five minutes hopping on one leg muttering swear words under his breath while Hermione tried desperately to figure out how to get them back to school.

"No use. I don't know."

"I'm hungry," Ron suddenly mentioned.

"Is that all you think about?" retorted Hermione.

"Yes, but he's got a point," Nikki replied dejectedly. "We don't know how to get back and we haven't eaten since breakfast. Anybody got some food with them?" Harry and Hermione both shook their heads, as did Ron after rummaging through his pockets. "Well," she continued, "it's probably near midnight and it's really cold. Hermione, can you conjure blankets for us?" Hermione nodded and waved her wand, producing warm wool sheets out of thin air.

"How are we going to sleep in the middle of nowhere with the thought that Death Eaters are going to come and attack us?" Ron asked incredulously.

"I'll stay awake for awhile and watch," Harry offered.

"When you get tired, just wake me up and I'll watch. We can do it in shifts," suggested Hermione. The others nodded their agreement and attempted to get to sleep, while Harry took over Nicole's stump. Ron was leaning against a tree, with Hermione's head on his shoulder. Harry strained his ears and was able to hear their conversation.

"But you never meant to hurt them," Ron whispered.

"I know, but I did, and now they're dead."

"They'd either be killed in battle or kill someone else. Harry's right, this is war. There is going to be death, it can't be avoided."

"I just never thought I'd be the one killing. I figured I'd be a Healer, or strategist, or something. Not this. That's more your department. And Harry's."

"Yeah," Ron murmured. "Think how he feels."

"Eavesdropping, Harry?" He fell off the stump in shock, only to come face-to-face with Nikki. "You look cold, a blanket might help."

"If I'm cold, I won't fall asleep," was the answer. Nikki laughed quietly and draped her own blanket on his shoulders, moving a little closer to him. He unconsciously put his arm around Nicole's waist and let her lay her head on his chest.

"I'll make sure you won't go to sleep, I promise."

"Sure, you say that now…" Harry teased as she playfully smacked his arm.

"If any Death Eaters come, we'll be ready, honest."

"But really, what chance do four half-asleep teenagers have against an army of Death Eaters?"

"We have pretty darn good chances if you ask me, Mr. Potter. Don't go belittling yourself," she reprimanded.

"I might have luck when battling Dark Lords and such, but how much good can I do when I'm only partially awake and don't even have my wand?"

"Uh…"

"Thought so."

"I'll go back to arguing with you once you tell me what's in your pocket," she stated out of the blue. Harry dug into his robes and found the object she was referring to immediately.

"It's a two-way mirror, Sirius gave it to me about a year ago. I kind of forgot about it since he's been cleared and I can go talk to him whenever I want."

"So Sirius has the other mirror then."

"Yeah, I imagine he's still got it with him…wait a second…Sirius has the other mirror!" He and Nikki bolted up immediately and hugged, jumping somewhat drunkenly and laughing at the top of their lungs. This got Hermione and Ron's attention, who stared at the both of them in a mixture of apprehension and shock.

"They've lost it!" Ron yelled. Hermione seemed to agree, because she instantly had her wand out and doused them in freezing cold water.

"Are you two alright?" she asked suspiciously. Nikki spit out the water like a fountain whereas Harry scowled at Hermione in annoyance.

"We were alright until you dumped water all over us! Do you mind getting it off?"

"You don't have to be so crabby about it," she replied airily, drying them off in seconds. "When one sees one's friends hopping around like mad for no apparent reason, one assumes them to be either mentally ill, sleepwalking, or both."

"But that's just it!" Nikki proclaimed excitedly. "We have an apparent reason! Give me that!" She yanked the mirror out of Harry's hand, stared at it for a few seconds, and then gave it back. "I don't have a clue how to use it."

"Sirius Black." Hermione, Ron, and Nikki crowded around him, only to see what appeared to be the ceiling of the Defense Against the Dark Arts room.

"Snuffles, you idiot!" Ron yelled. "He just left it in there!"

"Shh!" Hermione hushed. The four of them listened for a while, eventually making out Sirius and Heather's frantic voices.

"How can Snivellus not know where they are? He's a spy for a reason!"

"Sirius, I'm sure he's working on it," Heather consoled him. "Be patient!"

"I can tell you right now that Voldemort is not going to 'be patient' when it comes to killing them!" Heather didn't answer, giving the four stranded students time to yell as loudly as possible in an attempt to get the Defense teachers' attention. Sirius started ranting again, but from the slapping sound heard, they assumed Heather had smacked her fiancé to get him to shut up.

"Listen!" she ordered. It appeared as if he did what he was told, because two sets of footsteps were heard coming closer. One suddenly got louder and quicker, and Sirius's face appeared in the mirror.

"Harry! Ron, Hermione, Nikki, you're alive!" he shouted. "Where are you?"

"Riddle Mansion. But if we knew how to get to Hogwarts, wouldn't we be back already?" Ron retorted.

"Right, sorry. Uh…"

"Sirius, you dolt, use the location spell!" Heather's voice exclaimed. "Give me that!" She grabbed the mirror, did the charm, and stared at them in confusion. "According to this, there's a rather large building that existed about two hours ago and isn't there any more. Know anything about that?"

"Yeah, we uh…" Hermione broke off nervously.

"Doesn't matter. We'll be there in about an hour. Look out for Death Eaters," Sirius warned. With that, Heather disappeared and the mirror reverted to Harry's reflection.

"Now what?" Ron asked.

"What do you mean, now what?" countered Hermione.

"I mean, now what, as in, now what do we do?"

"We wait, Ronald that's what!" Nikki and Harry exchanged annoyed glances, then Nikki took out her wand and used a handy sleeping spell she had been taught in Salem, causing Hermione and Ron to fall to the ground.

"There. And she talks about Sirius and Heather being an old married couple. She ought to listen to her own arguments sometimes. Honestly!"

"Ron does have a bit of a point, though. They won't be here for another hour. What are we going to do to keep ourselves awake for that long?"

"Play tic-tac-toe?" she suggested. Harry stared at her, puzzled.

"How would you like us to do that?" In response, she drew in the air with her wand, leaving a perfectly made board in bright blue lights. They spent the next half hour laughing at how horrible Harry was at the game, until Nikki got tired and began writing runes in the squares instead of x's out of exhaustion (and fear of the test she had coming up). Harry forced her to sleep while he waited for Sirius and Heather. He wondered vaguely how they would get two adults and four students back to Hogwarts, but figured they'd already worked that out.

Harry himself was soon starting to drift off, so he borrowed Nikki's wand and began practicing spells. He was just mastering turning twigs into stick insects when he heard a large commotion in the trees. Glancing down at his watch, he noticed it was about the time for Sirius and Heather to be arriving, but there seemed to be too much noise for just the Defense professors.

Harry cautiously gripped Nikki's wand, crept closer to the sounds, and sent a couple of harmless, but effective, spells into the brush. He heard a couple of grunts, and then an ungodly, piercing shriek that he'd only heard one other place-it was Buckbeak.

"Sirius!" Harry yelled sprinting into the woods. He collided into Sirius, who'd been hit by a Disarming Spell, and was immediately engulfed in a bone-crushing hug. "Sirius-can't-breathe…"

"Good!" his godfather answered. "Nice spell work, though. You scared Buckbeak half to death with that Leg-Locker Curse. Oh, and I have your wand. And Ron's. Got them off Malfoy. Of course, he ran away before we could get anything out of him about where you were…"

"Sirius, would you like to give me a hand with _your_ hippogriff?" He grinned at Harry and shook his head.

"No, actually I wouldn't. C'mon, Harry, let's go wake the others up and get you out of here." They strode over to where Nikki, Hermione, and Ron were sleeping, and Sirius proceeded to make his recovered wand emit loud bangs and bright sparks of light. Nikki jumped up and starting babbling about the different runes, while Ron shrieked about dancing trees and Hermione yelled, "WE KILLED SOMEONE!"

"Hermione, we didn't mean to, get over it!" Nikki shouted in return.

"What?" Sirius asked, bewildered.

"They set the house on fire by hitting Ron's Exploding Snap cards with some spell that we don't know anything about," Harry explained.

"I think maybe it's time all of you went back to Hogwarts," Heather suggested, leading Buckbeak while wheeling Sirius's motorcycle over to the clearing. "Alright, I'm taking the hippogriff. He can probably safely hold me and two of you, so who's coming?" Ron got onto the beast almost instantly, and Hermione followed rather reluctantly.

"Okay. Nikki, you're coming with me on the motorcycle," Sirius told her. "And Harry, sorry, but you're flying yourself home."

"What, with my broom?"

"No, your wings," Sirius corrected.

"My wi-oh. Alright."

"But," he lectured, "you're flying a bit ahead and above me so I can catch you if you get tired."

"Sirius, you worry too much," Harry stated as he transformed. The journey back to Hogwarts was pretty smooth, but long as well. By the time they reached the castle, Hermione and Ron were both asleep, Nikki was only partially awake, and Harry was so sore that Sirius had to carry him into the castle, still in phoenix form.

They woke up early the next morning, Harry rather annoyed by being in the hospital wing again, but Bridget soon got them all out of bed and led them down to Sirius and Heather's office.

"What's this about?" Ron asked apprehensively.

"You'll see," Hermione replied with a smirk. They entered the room to find Sirius, Heather, Remus, and, for some odd reason, Ginny and Tonks, waiting for them and were instructed to sit down.

"Uh, is something wrong?" Harry wondered aloud.

"No, nothing's wrong at all," Sirius answered with a broad smile. "Actually, everything is about to be exactly how it should." Harry and Ron exchanged nervous looks, and then returned to the conversation.

"We have called you here today," Heather began, "to-oh, I know you know, Nikki, quit grinning like an idiot. We have called you here today to ask if you would be so kind as to…" she shared a nervous laugh with Sirius, "if you would stand up in our wedding."

"Wedding?" Ron inquired. "What wedding?"

"The wedding we're have in the Great Hall after the term is over," Sirius explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He then elbowed Remus hard in the stomach. Said werewolf sighed, began giggling like a schoolgirl, and turned to Bridget. He got off of his chair and kneeled in front of her, taking a box out of his pocket as he did so. The Healer's eyes lit up and she lunged off her seat and into Remus, knocking him to the floor.

"YES! YES, REMUS JOHN LUPIN, YES!"

"You didn't even let me ask!"

"I DON'T CARE! AND I DON'T CARE WHAT THE STUPID LAW SAYS, EITHER! I AM GOING TO MARRY YOU IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!"

"Let's hope not, or the honeymoon will be one sad affair," Sirius mentioned, earning a smack on the head from Remus. "Anyway, now that we've got that settled, Dumbledore's going to orchestrate everything for our wedding, whenever he gets back from Azkaban, that is…"

"Dumbledore got sent to Azkaban?" Ron yelled madly.

"No," Heather replied darkly. "There was a mass breakout. The whole prison is empty. I'm willing to be this whole thing was set up so Dumbledore would be gone while the Death Eaters were in Hogsmeade."

"Fred and George should be here any minute, too, they're in the wedding as well," Sirius continued. The fire suddenly roared green and Fred (or was it George?) rolled out into the office. "Good, you're here! We can get started."

"No, we can't!"

"Why not?" Heather demanded.

"Because, Diagon Alley's just been attacked!"

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	38. Diagon Alley Revisited

**Sorry about that, this chapter was meant to be posted before Emmerdoodles went on vacation, but wasn't finished then. Sorry! We still don't own Harry Potter. And just a warning-there's some blood in this chapter. And on that note...**

Chapter 38

Diagon Alley Revisited

The group gathered in the Defense office gaped at whichever twin had burst into the room. Ron then unsteadily walked up to his brother. "You and Fred are both okay, though, right?"

"For the moment…" George stated warily. Sirius then took over.

"Hermione, go tell McGonagall about this. Tonks, go get the Aurors. Bridget, Remus, Heather, you're coming to Diagon Alley with George and me. Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Nikki, you stay here!"

"Sirius, we've already proven that we can take on Death Eaters!" Ginny protested. "I want to be with my brothers!"

"No, it's too dangerous, you're staying, end of discussion."

"He's right," Heather agreed. "We just got you away from the Death Eaters, you're not going back."

"But…" Ron began.

"No," Remus declared. "Not happening." They soon flooed away, leaving five very annoyed teenagers behind.

"I am so sick of everyone treating me like I'm six years old!" Harry cried, flinging himself dejectedly onto Heather's sofa. "Does everything I've done count for nothing?"

"You know, we could floo after them," Nikki suggested.

"You heard Sirius, we have to stay here. He'll have our heads if we don't!" Ron replied.

"Sure, he said to stay here," she continued. "And we have stayed here. Now we're done. You just need to look at it from a different angle. He's a Marauder, he should know that!"

"Sure, he knows that. But when it comes to me, he goes to overprotective godfather mode," Harry explained. "He'd probably ground me until I'm thirty or something."

"Still," Ginny started, "it is tempting. And technically, we wouldn't have broken any rules…"

"Besides, I want to be with our brothers, too…"

"And it would be a great opportunity to test our skills…" Hermione put in.

"Getting back at those Death Eaters for what they did to Hogsmeade, not to mention us, would feel good…" Nikki admitted. The four of them stared at Harry for his opinion. He raised an eyebrow, stood his ground for a few moments, and then gave in.

"Alright, but let's try not to let anyone from the Order see us, okay?"

"Do you think we would just walk right up to Heather and say, 'Hi! We know we're not supposed to be here, but we came anyway'?" Ron asked incredulously.

"We'll just keep a low profile then," Nikki assured Harry. "Anyone who would potentially bite our heads off will never know we were there. Hermione, know any good appearance-altering spells?"

"If I did, I would have used them by now. We'll just have to be careful," she replied, taking a handful of Floo powder. "Diagon Alley!" Harry, Nikki, Ron, and Ginny followed suit, and came to a soot-covered halt in what used to be the Leaky Cauldron. Now it was mostly a pile of rubble surrounded by a wall and a half.

"This is horrible," Harry breathed, drinking in the sight. It truly made his blood boil.

"How anyone can do this is beyond me," muttered Ron while he stepped into the street. The air was thick with curses, spells, evil laughter and screaming. It was like Hogsmeade, only worse. Most of the shops had been decimated, and those that were standing had become fiery torture chambers. The one building untouched was, oddly enough, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

"Look," Hermione shouted, pointing at the joke shop. "It's still there!"

"That's because Fred and George put up all sorts of wards. They showed me when I was testing their products over the summer. Most of the protection was meant to keep explosions from the inside from destroying the building, but it seems to work the other way, too."

"Useful," Nikki murmured. "I bet none of the other shopkeepers even thought to put up more than an anti-theft ward. Never expected to be attacked by rampaging Death Eaters, I suppose."

"Uh…if you guys don't mind, can I-I mean-I want to see how Fred and George are doing," Ron stammered.

"I'll go with you," added Ginny.

"If it's all the same to you, I'd like to check on Sirius, Heather, Bridget, and Remus. That is, of course, with none of them seeing me at all."

And I'll go with Harry," Nikki replied. Hermione hesitantly looked at the four of them.

"We really should stay together, there are Death Eaters running around!"

"They won't pay attention to us," Harry assured her. "And besides, if we split up that makes us less likely to be seen. By a Death Eater or Order member."

"Fine," she huffed. "I'll go with Ginny and Ron."

"Right. We'll meet back here in half an hour, floo to school, and no one will even notice we're gone. Come, Mr. Flame." With that, Nikki and Harry snuck off to their left, while Ron, Hermione, and Ginny went right.

"You should have brought your cloak, Harry!" panted Nikki as they ran from a large group of Death Eaters.

"Didn't think of it, sorry."

"You should be." Harry glared at her as they sat down to catch their breath behind what obviously used to be a shop.

"We've found Remus, he seemed to be doing just fine. As did Bridget and Heather. But where's Sirius?"

"He's your godfather, what're you asking me for?" Nikki asked cheekily.

"It was a rhetorical question, Nicole."

'_Lestrange_," she suddenly growled menacingly.

"What?"

"That's Bellatrix Lestrange, I can tell by her laugh. She killed my parents."

"I can't hear her as well; what's she saying?"

"Something about her 'dear cousin.' Dude, I feel sorry for whoever that is." The color drained from Harry's face and he scrambled away from their hiding place, Nikki following bewilderedly.

"You apparently know her cousin?"

"Sirius! He's her cousin! Her maiden name's Black!" Harry yelled, dashing towards Lestrange's cackles.

"Ugh. Who in their right mind would marry Bellatrix?"

"Mr. Lestrange!" Harry shouted over his shoulder.

"Well, duh, obviously-oomph!" Harry had skidded to a stop, Nikki ramming into him.

"Sirius…" he whispered hoarsely. It was indeed Sirius, looking much worse for wear. He had a large gash on his chest; blood was seeping into his robes. Bellatrix had her foot pressed hard onto the wound to keep Sirius from escaping and her wand was digging into his throat.

"I didn't kill you the first time I tried," she was taunting, "but have no doubt I won't fail again!" Just as she was about to use Avada Kedavra, Harry let off a succession of Stunners while Nikki yelled out the disarming, petrifying, and binding spells, most of which hit their mark. The two of them then ran up to Sirius, taking his wand from Bellatrix and kicking the motionless Death Eater aside. Harry knelt down on the ground and began shaking his godfather a bit.

"Sirius!" He blearily opened his eyes and looked up at Harry in confusion.

"James?" he croaked.

"Sirius! No, Sirius, it's me, Harry!" Nikki slapped him for good measure and he blinked a couple of times, then groaned.

"I told you two to stay at Hogwarts."

"And we did," Nicole replied. "For a few minutes, at least."

"Harry, when we get back to school, your grounded."

"I don't care!" Harry laughed, hugging Sirius, who inhaled sharply. "Sorry, sorry…"

"'S alright. She hit me with a Slashing hex. Bridget should be able to heal it in no time."

"If I knew how to conjure stretchers, I'd put you on one," remarked Nikki. "But we haven't covered that yet."

"Note to self," Sirius muttered, "teach sixth year Defense how to conjure stretchers."

"C'mon, Sirius." Harry took Sirius's arm and slung it over his own shoulders, helping his godfather to his feet. Nikki took his other arm and did the same. Both students staggered a bit, but remained standing.

"Alright," Nikki sighed once the three of them regained balance. "How in the world do we get back to Hogwarts?"

"Ask Remus," Sirius responded.

"And have him know we were here, too?" Harry shrieked.

"What, you think I wouldn't tell him?"

"We just saved your life, can't you do the same for us?" he asked.

"Ha ha, funny. All Remus and Heather will do is have Filch hang the both of you from your ankles."

"Peachy," Nikki intoned. Lucius Malfoy then suddenly appeared in front of them and hissed, "Harry Potter…"

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Harry sneered, slipping Sirius's arm off of his shoulders and taking a few steps toward the Death Eater. "Azkaban get too scary for big bad Lucius?"

"You're one to talk," he sneered back. "Draco told me all about how you couldn't stand to even be near a Dementor."

"Yeah, well, I've defeated them, and you're nothing next to a Dementor."

"Really now? Let's see, shall we?" Malfoy began using what seemed like every spell he knew, forcing Harry onto the defensive. The shields were protecting him for the time being, but they were growing weaker, while Malfoy showed no sign of letting up. Harry was finally hit with an unknown spell and thrown backwards; the curse made it impossible for him to breathe. Lucius was making to saunter up to Harry and gloat when he was hit by four Stunning spells at once and crumpled to the ground in a heap.

The next thing Harry knew, he was lifted into a sitting position, leaning against Heather. She muttered a few choice words and the spell was lifted, leaving Harry gasping for breath. To his surprise, once his breathing had returned to normal, she hugged him. It was rather like Mrs. Weasley's hugs, only Heather wasn't attempting to crush his ribs.

"You're in so much trouble, Harry," she whispered.

"Yeah, I know. Sirius already promised I'd be grounded. How is he?"

"Fine. Bridget was able to mend the cut without a problem." At that moment, Sirius dashed up to him, pushing Heather out of the way and embracing Harry as if both of their lives depended on it.

"Sirius, I'm fine!" Harry yelled into his godfather's robes. "Why is everyone acting like I died!"

"Because you should have," Sirius replied darkly.

"What are you talking about?"

"The spell Malfoy used was an ancient and evil curse," Heather interrupted. "It causes the victim's organs to shut down. On adults, it would be the heart and lungs, killing them slowly. When performed on someone younger, like you, for example, the brain fails as well. It should have killed you in about four seconds.

"It's because of the Prophecy," Harry murmured. "It didn't kill me because only Voldemort can…"

"Of course," Sirius agreed. "But watch out if Voldemort uses that thing."

"Harry, is that true what you said?" Nikki was now kneeling beside him, concern written all over her features. "About you and Voldemort?"

"'Either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives'," Harry recited. "'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies.' Sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

"Oh, Harry…" Sirius released him and Harry brought Nikki into his arms, allowing her to cry into his shoulder.

"C'mon," he whispered, "let's get back to Hogwarts." They stood up, along with Sirius and Heather. "How did you, Bridget and Remus get here, anyway?"

"You can thank Nicole for that," Heather smiled. "When you started dueling, she ran to find us. And…where'd Malfoy go? Remus, Bridget, Nicole and I hit him, he couldn't have just walked away."

"We'll worry about that later," Remus suggested, pulling a quill out of his robes.

"Not a Portkey," Harry moaned.

"Diagon Alley has been thoroughly destroyed. Would you rather we walked back to Hogwarts? Bridget! We're leaving!" Remus called out. She ran up and put a hand on the quill, and then the six of them landed in the Hospital Wing. Hermione, Ginny, Ron, and the twins were already there, and jumped at Nikki and Harry the second they entered.

"Where were you?"

"What happened?"

"Is everyone alright?"

"Harry, you're bleeding!"

"Hey, let them breathe!" Sirius cried, dragging Harry and Nikki away from the crowd of Weasleys plus Hermione. "Both of them are fine, that's my blood not Harry's, they were off dueling Death Eaters, now they're back, and Heather and I are going to keep a very close eye on them." The two sixth years smirked mischievously and bid the occupants of the Hospital Wing good-bye before wandering down to the kitchens for a snack.

"How do you deal with it all?" Nikki asked. She'd, not surprisingly, convinced the House Elves to make her favorite American meal-hot dogs and macaroni and cheese. More surprising was the fact that she'd gotten Harry to eat it as well.

"How do I deal with all what?"

"Voldemort, the Prophecy, all that killing…"

"It's survival, mostly. Voldemort's been a part of my life forever, How do you think I got this?" he replied, lifting up his bangs to reveal the lightning bolt scar. "The Prophecy just confirms that Voldemort wants me dead. I've known that for awhile."

"Doesn't that scare you, though?"

"Of course it does. Everyone either seems to think I'm invincible or I'm a little kid who can't protect himself. And they're both wrong. At some point, my life is going to include, or end with, murder, and if someone believes that doesn't terrify me, they'd be dead wrong.

"But what scares me more is the fact that everyone I care about is in danger because of me." Harry looked up at Nicole and smiled wryly. "You've made yourself into a huge target by being the Boy-who-lived's girlfriend."

"I am NOT the Boy-who-lived's girlfriend!" Nikki roared, startling Harry. She jumped up from the table and stomped toward him, wearing a very menacing glare. "I'm Harry's girlfriend." She bent down to his level and before either of them realized, Harry and Nikki were kissing. Harry pulled her closer just as the door to the kitchens burst open and Ron, Hermione, and Ginny appeared, thoroughly startled by what they saw.

"You-you're-I mean-Harry…" Ron spluttered, staring at the two of them with wide eyes.

"Oh my…" Hermione whipsered.

"Oh, come on!" Ginny cried exasperatedly. "You can't tell me that you two've never kissed!"

"Uh-well…" Ron broke off. Harry, Nikki, and Ginny began laughing hysterically. Hermione shot them a furious look, took Ron by the arm, and stomped out.

"There," Ginny declared triumphantly. "You're free to snog all you want. I would, however, like to know how you two got together in two months whereas it took six years and Ron almost dieing for them."

* * *

"Alright, the couples are as follows." It was the weekend before exams, and most of the wedding party was lounging around the Defense office. Heather had a large notebook and as reading off everything that still needed to be done. "Bride and groom…" 

"That'd be us," Sirius clarified.

"Thank you, Sirius Orion Black."

"Must you use my middle name?" he whined.

"Yes," she replied. "Anyway, Sirius Orion Black and Heather Anne Evans. Then we've got the Best Man and Maid of Honor, Remus John Lupin and Bridget Marie deGrasse. Harry James Potter and Nicole Rebecca Harrison are the first to go down the aisle. Ronald-"

"Don't you dare say my middle name!" he warned.

"Bilius Weasley and Hermione Jane Granger are next," Heather continued, ignoring Ron completely. "Then there's Fred Gideon Weasley and Nymphadora Madeline Tonks."

"Ugh," Fred muttered. "No wonder you use your last name." She nodded furiously in agreement.

"Christopher Michael Harrison and Ginevra Molly Weasley are last, and then me. I've been in contact with Chris and he says he'll do it, if not because I was his favorite teacher n the world, then to see Nicole. And that's a direct quote."

"Aren't you forgetting someone?" Fred and George cried at the same time, identical looks of outrage on their faces.

"Oh, yeah," Heather laughed nervously. "George Fabian Weasley and…" She whispered his partner's name so quietly that only Sirius heard her. He leapt off his chair in response and bellowed, "**_WHAT?_**"

"Siri, she said she'd do it, and she really has changed…"

"The day Petunia Dursley changes is the day Snivellus and I bake a cake together!"

"As long as it's chocolate, dear. And you make Snape wear a hairnet."

"Aunt Petunia?" Harry asked with dread.

"Heather's gone mental!" the twins shouted.

"I have not! She deserves to be a part of this! She was actually apologizing when I talked to her the other day. To me and Harry," she responded.

"Fine," Sirius snapped. "As long as her husband and son aren't invited."

"I would never dream of that! There is one thing, though. You're all going to have to wear Muggle clothes, Petunia won't go near robes."

"You've got to be kidding," Sirius groaned.

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze?" Heather pleaded, giving a face resembling that of his dog form. "It's only for one day, and then you can throw them all away!"

"Only if I pick what food we have at the reception."

"Deal," Heather stated. "You'll find your tuxes and dresses, respectively, hanging in the closet over there. See you all back here in about a week, you've got permission from the Headmaster to stay at Hogwarts until the wedding. Now students, go study! It won't bode well if you fail all of your exams, now will it?" Hermione gasped and raced out of the room, dragging both Harry and Ron with her. Ginny and Nikki followed, both laughing their heads off.

**There. Production has sped up and this fic will indeed be finished before HBP comes out. We will have a sequel, but don't worry if it doesn't show up till around August, we need a break! We also need a good title for it, give us suggestions. P.S. Chapters will come faster if you review more-wink wink nudge nudge.**


	39. For Better or For Worse

**Hello there, Emm again. KCB's off doing something, do she's not available at the moment. For the record, chapters 39-42 are all ready to be uploaded, we'll just wait until we get enough reviews:) Disclaimer-Haven't we told you enough? We don't own Harry Potter, the rights, the world, etc. etc. Onto the wedding!**

Chapter 39

For Better or For Worse

"Ring! Where's the ring?" It was the morning of the wedding and, needless to say, Sirius was getting a bit frantic.

"Sirius, calm down! The ring's in your pocket!" Remus shouted. "We've been through this five times already and it's only ten o'clock!"

"Right, sorry, I forgot," he panted.

"Somebody needs to chill, dude," Nikki stated in amusement. "Take deep breaths or something. You're going to put the whole castle in a state of panic like that."

"Sirius Black, innocent mass murderer, is finally going insane," declared Harry.

"Let's just see how you two deal with it when you get married," Sirius replied. Harry and Nikki exchanged apprehensive looks, then fell to the floor, giggling madly.

"And what exactly makes you think we're going to get married?" Harry asked, still laughing.

"You two snogging in the kitchens reminded us of someone, didn't it, Moony?"

"Yes, it did, Padfoot. It reminded us very much of a certain stag and redhead…"

"Who also believed they would never get married," Sirius continued. "James told me once that the day I got married would be the day Snivellus washed his hair. Think it's true?"

"I'd rather not get close enough to Snape to find out," Heather smirked from behind him. "Quit this lounging around, you lazy bums! You're supposed to be getting ready! Nicole, come with me, will you? And where's Ron?"

"I'm right here, don't worry," he replied. "You don't think I'd just randomly leave, do you?"

"You never know, Ron, sometimes you aren't the most reliable person in the world," Harry teased.

"I'll have you know-"

"You can have us know later, Ron," Heather interrupted. "All of you, get changed already! Nicole, go find Tonks, Petunia, and Ginny and meet us in our room."

"Both of you need to relax, you really do," Harry told Sirius a few minutes later. The men in the wedding party had taken over the Gryffindor common room to get ready, and at the moment, Sirius was dashing through it, looking for the ring a sixth time. Remus finally took it away from him, and would hold it up any time Sirius opened his mouth. The portrait suddenly swung open and Ron dove behind one of the chairs, only to see a young man no one but Sirius recognized.

"Chris! Glad you didn't get lost in the castle!"

"I had Nik help me," he smiled back. His hair was a sandy blond, somewhat like his sister, and his twinkling blue eyes reminded Harry of Dumbledore. He looked to be around 20 years old and the kind of guy that would make girls drool. "And I hope that Miss Windling still has a stash of chocolate hidden around here somewhere."

"How do you know about that?" Remus frowned.

"I realized one day in school that her pencil was a wand, and proceeded to tell her that I knew she was magical. She told me she had a hidden box of candy at her old school, but I always thought she was joking. She didn't even figure out that I was a wizard until she saw my sister here at Christmas."

"I don't mean to interrupt," Ron mentioned over to their right. "But, what is this?" He held up the cummerbund in confusion while Harry and Chris, being raised Muggle, collapsed onto the floor in a fit of silent chuckles.

"It's a hat…" George stated immediately.

"…you put it on like so…" Fred continued.

"…tie it here…"

"…so it stays on…"

"…and doesn't blow off…"

"…when you rush down the aisle with Hermione…"

"…and there you have it," they finished together. His left eye was partially covered and red hair was sticking up all over the place. Remus soon joined Harry and Chris on the floor while Sirius cocked his head like Padfoot.

"That doesn't look right…" he trailed off.

"That's because it's not," Fred explained.

"But we couldn't have Ickle Ronniekins looking good…" George declared.

"…or it would reflect badly upon us."

"Good day," they remarked, strolling happily out of the room. George returned after a few seconds and added, "Hermione, Nikki and Ginny want to know if they can come in."

"No!" Ron barked.

"Alright. They say it's fine!" he shouted through the portrait hole. Ron screamed in rage, fled up the staircase to his dormitory and slammed the door. The three girls entered a second later, wearing pale purple strapless gowns and finding Remus, Harry, and Chris sprawled out on the floor, clutching their sides from laughter and Sirius standing bewilderedly in front of them, looking utterly lost.

"What is going on here?" Hermione questioned with an expression much like Mrs. Weasley's.

"The cummerbund-Ron confused-so funny…" Harry gasped from the floor. Ginny looked at him, as lost as Sirius was, while Nikki and Hermione exchanged a knowing glance.

"Where is he?" Nikki asked, trying to hide her own laughter.

"Dormitory," Remus managed to spit out. Hermione trudged up the stairs and began banging on his door while Nikki and Ginny helped the men on the floor to their feet.

"Sirius, would you like some help with that?" Nikki wondered out loud, smirking at his cummerbund. He nodded desperately in reply. She and Ginny marched up to him and, in a matter of seconds, had fixed his tux and styled his hair. The two of them and Harry and Chris then went upstairs to help Hermione with Ron. She'd just gotten his hair flattened with Sleekeazy's when a woman's piercing shriek brought them racing down the stairs.

"What's wrong?" Harry exclaimed, seeing Sirius with a very smug look on his face. He pointed at something behind Harry; Harry turned around and found Remus looking rather-not like Remus. His hair had grown down to his shoulders and he was wearing a bright pink dress and glaring murderously at Sirius. The gown happened to be the same shade of pink that was the favored color of wrapping paper for Sirius.

"Make him change me back!" Remus shouted in a tremendously high-pitched voice.

"It's what you get," Sirius replied loftily. "Besides, James did the exact same thing to me at his wedding. It's now tradition."

"I don't care, remove it!"

"Oh, you bunch of children!" Hermione yelled, pushing the stunned Ron and Harry out of her way and waving her wand sharply at the werewolf. Nothing happened.

"Uh…" she muttered uncertainly.

"Sirius!" Remus cried desperately. Said Animagus flicked his wand and flowers suddenly appeared in Remus's hair. This was too much for everyone in the room bar Hermione, who tried the spell once again. Much to Sirius's disappointment, Remus returned to normal.

"Can we get on with the wedding, now?" she asked disapprovingly.

"Thank you, Hermione! At least _some_ people in this room aren't as evil as someone else I could mention."

"Evil, no, I'm not evil," Sirius replied. "Maniacal, insane, marauder-ous, yes, but evil?"

"Whatever," Remus sighed. "Sirius, go snog with your bride and leave me be!"

"Fine, I can tell when I'm not wanted. Harry, come here, I want to talk to you." Sirius led him out of the common room and down a hallway. "I know that you, well-when we first met, you kind of jumped at the possibility of living with me. I know this is kind of sudden, but Heather and I have bought a house, it's a few hours north of Hogsmeade out in the country. Remus is going to be living with us, and maybe Nikki and Chris. Since Heather is your mother's sister, you'd still get the protection from the blood magic. And I, okay, we, thought, maybe you'd like-I mean, if the Dursleys are getting better, I'll understand, but…"

"Sirius," Harry interrupted. "Shut up. I'd love to live with you guys."

"Really? Because if it's not what you want, it's fine…"

"You're an idiot, you know that? If the Dursleys owned a mansion and gave me everything I ever asked, I'd still go live with you. You're my godfather for a reason, remember? Just as long as I don't have to call you Uncle Sirius."

"Ugh, makes me feel old."

"Good," Harry laughed.

"What, you want me to feel old?" he replied in mock anger.

"Yes, yes I do." That remark caused Sirius to chase him through the halls of Hogwarts in an effort to prove that he was not old. "C'mon, Sirius, you can do better than that!" Harry yelled over his shoulder. He skidded to a halt when he realized what he'd said, and Sirius ran into him, throwing both of them into Nikki and Chris.

"Hey, would you two like to live with us?" Sirius asked as he pulled Harry up from the floor.

"Sure, why not," Nikki joked.

"I'm serious!"

"We know you are!" Harry and Nikki shouted back.

"I meant that the offer stands. You can't stay at Hogwarts all summer, you'll need somewhere else to go."

"We'll think about it," Chris told him.

* * *

About an hour later found Sirius, Harry, and Remus waiting in a side chamber while guests filled the Great Hall. Said guests only included the Order of the Phoenix, excluding Snape, of course, but that was still a healthy amount of people. Sirius was currently pacing through the room and actually wearing a path in the carpeting. 

"I can't do it!" he screamed in anguish.

"Yes, you can," Harry admonished. "You were all ready to do this fifteen years ago, why not now?"

"Now it's different! I've been in Azkaban, she's been hiding in America, we've started a new war, Voldemort wants our godson dead…"

"Voldemort wanted me dead when you were engaged, it's still the same war, and who cares where you've been! That's the past, you love each other, marry her!"

"What if she's changed?" Sirius asked with dread. "What if I've changed? What if I'm not good enough any more? What if Azkaban altered my brain?"

"Sirius, get a grip!" Remus cried out. "Heather still wants to marry you! What would she say if she saw you right now?"

* * *

Three minutes earlier, in a different side chamber- 

"I can't do it!" Heather shrieked, panicked.

"Professor, be realistic!" Hermione berated. "You can and you will marry him!"

"Well, I could marry him before, but now I'm not so sure."

"What's not to be sure about?" Nikki asked patiently, attempting to calm her professor down.

"Well, what if he's changed? What if I've changed? What if I'm not good enough any more? What if Azkaban altered his brain?"

"If Azkaban altered his brain, then why is he doing this?" Hermione questioned.

"HELP ME!"

* * *

"So? What if she doesn't like me any more and she just wants to humiliate me!" 

"Sirius, is she really the kind of person who would do something like that?" Harry joked, hoping to lighten the mood.

"Yes," Remus answered.

"Oh."

"See!" Sirius screeched. "It's all a lie!" Ron chose that moment to walk into the room.

"Sirius, it's time."

* * *

"Really, Sirius cares about you!" Tonks tried to tell Heather. 

"What if this is all just some practical joke?"

"Sirius wouldn't…" Nikki began. "Oh, he would, wouldn't he."

"Yes, but that's beside the point!" exclaimed Hermione.

"The point is," Tonks continued, "he loves you, you love him, go get married already!"

"It's just that…" Petunia barged into their chamber, rather frightened by her current location.

"Heather, that freak of a fiancé of yours is waiting."

* * *

The entire wedding party was waiting anxiously outside of the Great Hall, Sirius and Heather being more nervous than ever. Hermione also seemed a bit jittery, but that was not due to nerves. 

"Ugh," she whispered to Nicole, "my dress feels really weird."

"Mine's just fine," she shrugged.

"Ah, George," his twin stated in a very satisfied manner. "The test is a success."

"What test?" Hermione hissed menacingly.

"Weasley's Wizard Wheezes' newest product-Perfectly Persistent Prickly Powder," George replied.

"We wanted to put it on Harry's aunt," Fred explained.

"But Mum wouldn't let us."

"Get it off!" Hermione growled frantically.

"You're a smart girl," George mentioned. "It's not called 'perfectly persistent' for nothing."

"Yep. Stays on for 24 hours."

"What?" she cried. The doors then opened and Sirius walked shakily into the Great Hall. He came to a stop near the podium, where Dumbledore gave him a reassuring smile, eyes twinkling more than ever. Remus and Bridget followed, their arms linked as they slowly marched down the aisle.

"I think Sirius needs a little something to calm him down," Nikki suggest quietly.

"Like what?" Harry asked. Ron and Hermione also eagerly listened for any ideas Nikki had.

"This," she responded.

Up at the podium, Remus was desperately attempting to get Sirius to relax.

"You'll be fine, I promise."

"Yeah, I know. I'm just so-worried-not sure why."

"Take a look at your godson, then," Remus told him. Harry had Nicole in his arms and was carrying her down the aisle. When they got to the end, he spun her around, put her down gently, and they separated.

"Sirius says thanks," Remus relayed as Ron and Hermione went through, Ron's hair spiked up in different directions and Hermione holding Crookshanks.

"Tell him I say you're welcome." Ron soon stood next to Harry while Fred led Tonks, whose hair and eyes were pale purple to match her dress. "I like your hair like that, Ron," Harry muttered.

"Still isn't anywhere near as bad as yours, mate." George and Petunia, looking less Dursley-ish than Harry had ever seen her, followed, and then Chris, carrying Ginny piggy-back, walked down the aisle. Harry could practically feel Sirius shaking as Heather entered, unescorted. Her brown hair and eyes had vanished and she once again looked exactly like Harry's mother. Heather's pure white dress was long and flowing, embroidered with the same shade of lavender in the bridesmaids' gowns. Sirius met her a few rows before the podium and they stood before Dumbledore, trembling like mad.

"We are gathered here today…" Dumbledore began, presiding over the ceremony. Sirius and Heather both appeared to be too nervous to hear anything past that, however, caught up in their fears. When Dumbledore got to the vows, Remus had to discreetly kick Sirius in the shin to snap him out of his thoughts.

Sirius looked at Heather for a second, then uttered with resolution, "I do."

"And do you, Heather Anne Evans, take this man…" _This is it. There's no turning back. I know he cares about me, and I love him, but…no. Hermione and Nikki are right. Time to do what we should have done a long time ago._ Bridget suddenly elbowed Heather and she attempted to answer, but no sound came out of her mouth. Sirius glanced over in apprehension and dread as she tried again, but she never got the words out. The doors to the Great Hall were flung off of their hinges and a hundred or so Death Eaters entered, led by Lord Voldemort himself.

**DunDUNDUN! What, did you think Voldie wasn't going to interrupt their "special day?" FIVE Reviews please, or you'll have to wait longer for chapter 40. Resolve the cliffie! You can do it!**


	40. The Final Confrontation

**One review. ONE REVIEW! THAT WAS ABSOLUTELY DISGRACEFUL! WE'RE NOT THAT BAD OF AUTHORS, ARE WE? Alright, i'm done now. Just...hurt. You've hurt LICKRISHSTIX, okay? Maybe we won't move on to seventh year after all. (sigh). Alright, chapter 40. All we own are the plot, nikki, heather, bridget, and chris. Onto the chapter. JUST A WARNING---This chapter is FULL of character death. You're gonna hate us.**

Chapter 40

The Final Confrontation

The whole of the Great Hall seemed to freeze for a good minute, before screams erupted and mass chaos ensued. Luckily, the entire Order of the Phoenix happened to be at the wedding, and soon every person in the room was fighting. Spells were being shot every which way, and it was almost too noisy to think. In a matter of minutes, the Hall was transformed into a battle zone.

* * *

Ron was almost immediately separated from the rest of the group, and was searching for his family when someone grabbed him behind, attempting to strangle him. Ron struggled and managed to break free, and the next minute, he was dueling fiercely with the tall Death Eater. None of Ron's spells had hit their mark yet, but he himself hadn't been hit, either. He shouted the stunning spell as he dodged a yellow curse, but a bright blue shot of light hit him and threw him into the wall. He stood back up and shot out _Diffindo_, which glanced off and nicked the Death Eater's shoulder. Ron then shot out a blasting spell, which hit his opponent square in the face, knocking him to the ground and destroying his mask. The redhead bound him and walked over to take the Death Eater's wand when he saw his face.

"P-P-Percy?"

* * *

Nikki and Hermione stood side-by-side, wands held firmly, facing Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange. They had cut off the bottoms of their gowns, making it easier to move, and had intended to find Harry and Ron when they were blocked by the two Death Eaters.

"Aw, look at the cute little girlies, thinking they can win against us," Rodolphus taunted in the babyish voice his wife loved to use.

"You don't even stand a chance. Why don't you just go and play with your dollies?"

"Why don't you shut your mouth before I shut it for you," Nikki snarled.

"Oh, you want to play with the big kids, do you?" mocked Rabastan. "Very well. _Crucio_!" Nikki screamed in pain and fell to the ground. Hermione then performed a shielding charm, which was effective enough to stop the curse. Nikki gasped for breath as Hermione helped her to her feet. The two Gryffindors then stared the Lestranges in the eye, bowed, and began to duel.

Hermione's shield held against a couple more blows, but then it vanished, leaving them open to attack. Nicole focused on Rabastan while Hermione took Rodolphus. However, both Death Eaters had far more experience and power than Hermione and Nikki, and had managed to hit the girls repeatedly. Nicole then screwed up her strength and screamed a complex incantation that not even Hermione had heard before; the ground below the Lestranges suddenly opened up and Rabastan fell into it. Rodolphus jumped out of the way, only to hit by a stunning spell from Hermione.

"What was that thing?" Hermione asked, more than a bit frightened by the spell.

"A transportation jinx. I heard how Sirius had been sent to the Sahara and I wanted to see how they liked it."

* * *

Chris was combing the Great Hall in a mad rush to find his sister. He heard a frantic scream and, thinking it was Nicole, rushed towards it. What he found was not the girl he was looking for-it was Lucius Malfoy attempting to stab Ginny. Chris roared in utter rage and threw a bolt of pure magic at the Death Eater, throwing him off of Ginny and through the brick wall. He ran to her, helping her up.

"These Death Eaters make me sick, Ginny. Are you alright?"

"Fine," she replied a bit too fast.

"You're hurt, aren't you?"

"No I'm not-okay, fine, he hit me in the ankle, but it's nothing."

"Nothing is ever nothing," Chris replied, lifting her off the floor.

"Really, you don't need to do that…"

"Of course I don't, but that doesn't mean that I'll just leave you here. I met you two hours ago and I already feel like I've known you forever. You're like, I don't know, a second little sister or something. Anyway, let's get you out of here. The middle of a battlefield isn't the safest place for anyone, much less someone who's injured."

"I am NOT injured! It's just a scratch!"

"You're so much more like Nik then you'll ever realize."

* * *

Fred and George had taken it upon themselves to lighten the mood of the war-by setting off their entire stock of Weasley's Wildfire Whizbangs. The fireworks were originally meant to be used when Sirius and Heather kissed, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Take that, you lousy Death Eaters!" Fred screamed, sending a phoenix (one of their newer varieties, inspired by Harry) at a large group of the masked men. Their robes caught on fire, and in the attempt to put it out, they were all hit by Stunners from the twins.

"If I knew Death Eaters were this easy to get rid of, I'd have convinced Mum to let us into the Order a long time ago!" George exclaimed over the screech of a Catherine wheel.

"I know. The adults made it sound difficult!"

"So, you think war is fun, boys?" a cold voice hissed from behind them. Fred and George turned around, only to look into the red eyes of Lord Voldemort. "I'll show you fun!"

* * *

Bridget had immediately put heavy defensive spells around a small area of the Great Hall and set up a sort of mini-hospital. Petunia, hoping to get away from the fight and, for some odd reason, looking to help, had joined her. Bridget summoned some useful potions she kept in unbreakable containers from the Hospital Wing, and, within minutes, Chris came to her, carrying Ginny.

"It's her ankle," he explained.

"I'm fine!" Ginny argued.

"Just let me see it," Bridget sighed. She then mended the cut with a wave of her wand and declared the girl healed, but kept Ginny with her as well. Both she and Chris stayed and assisted the Healer, keeping things somewhat cheerful with a constant onslaught of jokes. Their next big task, however, was nothing to laugh about.

* * *

Heather, enraged by the Death Eaters' intrusion, had transfigured her dress into fighting robes and took out at least ten Death Eaters without saying a word. She soon came across another Death Eater, who was acting rather strangely. Assuming he was under the control of the Imperius curse, Heather simply stunned him-with not much effort. Another spell came flying through the air from her right, however, and hit the ceiling above the Death Eater, causing large pieces of rubble to come crashing onto his head. He fell to the floor, obviously dead.

Heather cautiously walked towards him and removed the mask to find the face of Cornelius Fudge. Deciding it was for the good of the Wizarding, and probably Muggle, worlds, she left him lying on the ground.

* * *

Remus was holding his own, taking out some Death Eaters and helping those on the light side who had been injured. He was just leading Hestia Jones to Bridget when he heard a horrific cry of pain coming from behind him. Letting Hestia limp by herself, he ran to where he heard the sound, finding Voldemort himself torturing George Weasley. As Remus ran to them, the Dark Lord ended the Cruciatus on George and turned to Fred, muttering the two last words he would hear. The green curse hit Fred right in the chest and he fell limply to the ground, eyes open in fear, shock, and hatred-he was dead.

Before Remus could reach Voldemort, Albus Dumbledore stepped in and the two began dueling, power radiating off both of them. Remus then helped George get up, attempting to console the remaining twin.

"Come on, George, come on, Bridget has a healing station set up."

"It won't do any good," he whispered stiffly. "Fred's gone. HE'S GONE!"

"I know, I know, George, I meant for you…you need to calm down…"

"But-he's dead."

"He is. I know the feeling, and I know it hurts. You have to put the past behind you."

"What, you want me to just forget about him, just like that?" George roared. "He was my brother! He's still my brother!"

"I know, that's not what I meant. Focus on the good times, just calm down George, come with me…"

"We're not going to leave him just lying here, are we?"

"No, of course not," Remus agreed, using a levitation spell on Fred's body and putting an arm around George. They reached the Healer in what seemed like mere seconds, and Ginny broke down in Chris's arms at the sight of her brother.

"I wish there was something I could do," Remus admitted sadly, watching the Weasleys cope. "I know what it feels like to lose someone like that. It's so…terrible. They were young, just barely out of school…"

"War has only truly begun when the innocent die," Bridget stated with hatred. "Voldemort will pay for what he has done."

* * *

Sirius and Bellatrix had once again managed to find each other and were fighting harder than ever. They were matched spell for spell, and it appeared that they would keep dueling until one or both of them dropped to the floor in exhaustion. Sirius finally found his one advantage-his fiancée-and the two of them soon defeated Bellatrix. For the time being, at least. Ron unsteadily strode up to them a few seconds later, a look of pure disgust on his face.

"I-I think I just killed Percy."

"You what?" Heather asked in shock.

"He was a Death Eater, and-I didn't know it was him…I certainly didn't mean to do it…it just…can you come help?" Heather nodded and Sirius was about to go with them when a curse from McNair threw Heather off of her feet and Sirius began dueling him in retaliation.

* * *

Harry was dueling black-robed wizards the second they entered, each one hoping to gain a reward from their master for his capture. Each one failed. At the moment, he was fighting a Death Eater who seemed vaguely familiar, but Harry couldn't place who it was. The reductor curse was suddenly shot at him and Harry threw up a shield in hopes of protecting himself; the curse bounced off the shield and back at the Death Eater, who crumpled to a heap on the floor. Taking his wand and mask, Harry realized his opponent was Marcus Flint, and probably dead as well.

Harry then went off in search of Sirius, Ron, Hermione, or Nikki, but didn't get far. Someone seized him from behind and he struggled fiercely, only to hear Snape hiss in his ear, "It's me, you idiot!" Harry stopped fighting and let Snape lead him out of the Great Hall, to where, he didn't know. Anywhere but there.

* * *

Sirius watched in horror as a Death Eater took Harry by surprise and dragged him out of the Great Hall. He was about to follow them when he was stopped by Heather.

"It's just Snape. He says Dumbledore wants to get Harry to Privet Drive."

"My least favorite person taking my godson to my least favorite place. Next to Azkaban, of course," Sirius added.

"I know you don't like our resident PotionsMaster, neither do I. But at least Harry'll be safe."

"Still, we thought Headquarters were safe and we thought Hogwarts was safe. How safe is Privet Drive, really?"

"Safe enough. Harry will be fine and you'll see him again in a few days. When Snape gets back you can even ask him if Harry's alright, if you want. Just make sure you don't interrupt his 'spying duties.'" If Heather said anything after that, Sirius didn't hear it. He was too busy thinking about Snape. He always said that the Dark Lord didn't trust him as much as he used to, that's why he didn't get as much information. But Snape should have at least known about an attack this big, right? And then it hit Sirius. The Potions _Master_. As much as he hated to admit it, the greasy git was quite good at potions. Good enough to….

"Heather, I've got to go, I'll be back soon!" Sirius yelled, dashing out of the Great Hall. She stared at him in confusion, then locked herself in a duel with Avery.

* * *

"Professor, where are we going?" Harry asked as they walked through Hogwarts's hallways.

"The Headmaster wishes that you go to Privet Drive, Potter. And for some reason, told me to take you there. Rest assured, there are a million other things I'd rather do."

"But how are we going to get to Privet Drive?"

"Must you ask so many questions?" Snape growled in distaste. "We'll floo to Figg's house. There, happy?" He took Harry into a dark side chamber and explained that they'd have to wait to make sure no one was following them.

"I don't mean to be a bother, _Sir_, but where exactly are we?" Harry questioned a minute later.

"Right where we should be," Snape answered, suddenly pinning Harry to the wall and slipping a knife out of his pocket.

"What-what…" Harry stuttered, staring at the blade in confusion.

"Potter, you're even more of a moron than I believed. Don't you see? I may be a spy and I may be in Dumbledore's precious little Order, but I don't spy for it."

"What are you going on about?"

"It's me who is the spy! I'm the one who told the Dark Lord about Headquarters. When Dumbledore tried to find out who the spy was, I switched one of the Veritaserums with a controlling potion, allowing me to choose exactly what the drinker said. I had hoped that your dear godfather would get that vial, but Podmore's not a bad choice either…"

"No…" Harry breathed in disbelief.

"Yes. I opened your mind even more in our cozy little Occlumency sessions, making it easy for the Dark Lord to possess you. I told him about the Prophecy as soon as I learned it. When I realized that you were the light's only hope of victory, I came to my senses and rejoined the winning side for good."

"But, you saved my life in first year!"

"Ah, that. When I still foolishly believed that the Dark Lord was gone for good, and I had those pathetic little things called morals. How silly of me. I have since then reevaluated the situation. I even tried to get that mutt you care so much about killed. I was the _Prophet_'s 'reliable key witness' in exposing him."

"But Dumbldedore-he trusted you!"

"The old man's downfall. He is much too trusting. He's right about something once in a while: I am a good Occlumens. Good enough to fool even the mighty Albus Dumbldedore. And one more thing. I knew Pettigrew was a Death Eater. And I knew he killed your parents."

"NO!" Harry screamed in rage.

"_Avada Kedavra_!" Harry flinched in anticipation of the curse, but it wasn't Snape who had used it; on the contrary, he slowly fell to the ground with a look of pure loathing on his face. Sirius stood behind him, his wand out. Harry stared at him in shock; even Sirius seemed a bit surprised at what he'd just done. He quickly pocketed his wand and rushed to Harry.

"He didn't hurt you at all, did he?"

"No, he didn't-Sirius, you…" Harry replied, at a loss for words.

"I know. I didn't mean to. I realized he was the spy and ran to find you; all I heard was what he said about Wormtail, and I just cracked." He shivered, a look of disgust on his face. "Let's get you out of here. He was at least right about Privet Drive being the safest place for you right now."

"You're not going anywhere, cousin." Sirius swore loudly at the sound of Bellatrix's voice and turned around, making sure to keep Harry behind him. Voldemort's inner circle stood before them, composed of about twenty of the strongest and most faithful Death Eaters. Lucius Malfoy, McNair, Avery, and all of the Lestranges were among them.

"Why would you want to leave so soon?" Malfoy taunted, his wand trained on Sirius and Harry. "The fun is only beginning, and the Dark Lord will be here in just a bit to say hello."

"Aw, but look at the way the cute little doggie thinks he can protect his puppy," Bellatrix sneered. "Adorable, isn't it?"

"Harry," Sirius hissed out of the corner of his mouth. "When I start dueling…"

"Sirius, I can take care of myself, there's no way you can handle all of them!" he whispered back.

"I know. But if I distract them, you can run."

"Sirius, that's suicide!"

"Just go to my office," he continued, ignoring Harry's comment. "There's floo powder in there. Get yourself to Privet Drive and don't worry about me!" A large amount of curses suddenly flew through the air and Sirius erected a shield around himself and Harry. "GO!"

"No, I'm not leaving!" Harry shouted back.

"Yes, you are!" Sirius turned from the battle to use _Mobilicorpus_ on Harry, throwing him back thirty feet towards the door. He then clutched his wand tightly and began what would probably be the last battle he ever fought.

* * *

Tonks, Remus, and Heather were still in the Great Hall, rounding up the last of the Death Eaters. For some reason, they'd started retreating a few minutes before, and it had been easy to capture them.

"How many people did we lose?" Heather asked, not really wanting to know the answer.

"Fred Weasley, Emmeline Vance, Dung Fletcher, and Cornelius Fudge, if you count him as one of our people."

"Where's Sirius?" Tonks inquired, looking around the room.

"I don't know. He ran off when Snape took Harry to Privet Drive."

"What do you mean, Snape took Harry?" Remus barked.

"He said Dumbledore told him to get Harry out."

"That's not what Dumbledore told me…" Remus replied warily. "He wanted me to make sure Harry stayed with the Order until the battle was over."

"That's what Sirius was talking about!" Heather realized with dread. "He'd just figured out that Snape wasn't as loyal as we thought he was…He took Harry. I just let him take Harry! We have to follow him!"

"Tonks, go tell Dumbledore. Heather, look for Snape," Remus ordered. "I'll get anyone from the Order I can and join you." Heather transformed, becoming a fox and began searching for their trail.

* * *

Sirius had taken out probably half of the Death Eaters, but he'd received a few hits himself. His left arm was bleeding badly, his head was pounding, and adrenaline was the only thing keeping him going at the moment. Malfoy finally managed to hit him with the Cruciatus, which sent Sirius to the ground, screaming. By the time the curse was ended, he could hardly move.

"So, had enough, Black?" Avery mocked, kicking him in the stomach.

"I kept you from getting Harry, didn't I?" Sirius growled hoarsely.

"Sure, you kept us from your little puppy," Bella jeered. "But the Dark Lord…" Sirius shot up in horror, ignoring the pain flaring through his body. Over to his right, Harry was using Marcus Flint's wand to duel Voldemort. The Dark Lord was using every dark, pain-inflicting spell known to man, and Harry looked as if he was on the verge of passing out.

"Had enough, Potter?"

"In your dreams, _Tom_," Harry snarled back.

"Insubordinate child!" Voldemort roared, firing off a blood red curse. Harry pulled out his own wand and yelled another spell, hoping to perform the _Priori Incantatum_, but his spell only glanced off of Voldemort's, which caught Harry right in the chest. He flew into the wall with a sickening thud and fell face-down onto the ground, unmoving.

Voldemort's mocking laughter bounced off the walls of the chamber as he strode towards Harry, kicking his limp form across the room. Sirius, in an effort to get to his godson, transformed into Padfoot and fought the remaining Death Eaters madly. He bit one of their arms, hoping it was Bella, and the Death Eater shrieked in pain and anger. Voldemort simply turned to him and waved his wand, placing a muzzle on Sirius.

"Poor, poor Black," he muttered in feigned pity. "You have failed your dear James and Lily once again." He faced one of the walls and started chanting; the brick faded away and another area opened up. Sirius's eyes widened when he realized with a jolt of panic what the room contained-the Veil.

"Beautiful, isn't it? You didn't think I would try to kill him with my own magic again, did you? Every time I attempted that, I failed. But now, with the power of Death itself in my possession, Potter will finally join his parents. Say goodbye to your precious godson, Black!" With that, Voldemort grabbed hold of the unconscious Harry and hurled him through the Veil; the fabric whipped around violently, and then was still. Sirius transformed back in a shocked reflex and stared at the arch. The Boy-who-lived, his godson, the one he swore to James and Lily he'd protect, the only one who could defeat Voldemort…Sirius collapsed to the ground, aware of only one thing: Harry Potter was dead.

**And i'm sure you hate us by now. Flame us, we don't care, just review! BY THE WAY...WE'RE NOT DONE! We still have to kill off the Order of the Phoenix! (Grins maliciously). Review!**


	41. Dark Aftermath

**Some clarification. That was indeed the real Veil, and Harry did indeed fall through it. According to us, no person can survive that. So, time to destroy the Order of the Phoenix one by one! MUAHAHAHAHAHA! This chapter is nicknamed Super Angst Extraordinaire, for obvious reasons. All we own are the plot and our oc's. Please review!**

Chapter 41

Dark Aftermath

Heather had found her fiancé and godson just in time to see Harry fall through the Black Veil. For she knew that's what it was, she had learned about it in America. An ancient device used to kill anyone, or anything, for that matter, that came in contact with it. Whoever developed it had been as evil as Voldemort, if not more. Heather almost rushed to Sirius's side in an attempt to comfort him, but something was holding her back-the same force that kept her hiding in America. So she trusted it, whatever it was, even if she didn't want to, and returned with tears in her eyes to Remus and Nicole, who were waiting for her in the Great Hall.

"What happened?" Remus demanded at once. Heather couldn't bring herself to say it, so she fell into Remus's arms, sobbing.

"Er-Professor?" Nikki faltered timidly.

"They captured Sirius, there was nothing I could do…"

"Shh, it's alright," Remus consoled her. "We'll get him back, don't worry."

"But there was nothing I could do!"

"Professor, we can-"

"THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO!" Heather shrieked, sobbing even harder. "Remus, he's dead!"

"No, we'll get Sirius back, don't worry."

"Not Sirius…"

"He killed Harry," Nikki muttered, grim realization spreading over her face.

"Heather…?" whispered Remus.

"I promised James and Lily that I'd take care of him. I promised them!" Hermione and Ron, tears in his eyes at the death of two of his brothers, slowly wandered over to them.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked immediately.

"Voldemort killed Harry," Remus replied shakily as he tightened his hold on Heather, his breath coming out in short gasps. Ron's face got even paler, if possible, and he slowly sank onto the floor.

"I've already lost Percy and Fred…Harry was the best friend anyone could ask for…he can't be…are you sure?"

"The Veil…I've studied it, it's just like _Avada Kedavra_…he's gone."

"But…he can't be, he just can't! He's the only one who can kill Voldemort," Hermione whispered, searching for some way for Harry to miraculously return. But there was none.

"Hermione," Nicole began, "do you mind if I borrow Ron for a second?"

"Um…go ahead," she sniffed. Nikki and Ron looked at each other for a moment, then Nikki flung herself into Ron's arms, crying hysterically into his tux.

"I cared so much about him!" she yelled desperately. "He understood how it felt to lose your parents, he was always there when I just needed someone to listen to me! I loved him! DO YOU HEAR ME, VOLDEMORT? I LOVED HIM! YOU WILL PAY FOR EVERYONE YOU'VE HURT!"

"Please, Remus, tell me this is a nightmare and I'll wake up and everything will be okay…" Hermione whimpered.

"I wish I could. I wish I could…"

* * *

"As you all know, Voldemort has succeeded in doing what he's tried to do for sixteen years-kill Harry." What was left of the Order of the Phoenix, as well as Hermione, Ginny, Chris, Nikki, and Ron, had assembled in the Dumbledore's office. It was a week after the attack, and Dumbledore was informing the Order of everything he knew up to that point. "With the use of the Black Veil…" Dumbledore shook his head sadly. "Voldemort is now invincible, and he knows it-he is holding Sirius in Azkaban, and dares us to try and rescue him." 

"We can't," Mrs. Weasley replied instantly.

"What do you mean, we can't?" Heather fumed. "We have to!"

"I have already lost three of my children, I refuse to let anyone else die for a hopeless cause!"

"Saving Sirius is not hopeless! He's being tortured, and all we're doing is sitting here!" she roared.

"Heather," Remus coaxed, "what she means is-well, with Harry…Sirius would die anyway…"

"Do you care about him at all? I lost him when he went to Azkaban and I lost him when he was captured at Halloween and I have no intention of losing him again without a fight!"

"There is no point!" Remus yelled back. "We're going to die with Harry gone! You know that!"

"So why not try to get Sirius back?" By this point, Remus and Heather were standing only inches apart, and looked ready to hex each other into next week.

"Calm down, both of you!" Bridget shouted, standing between them and splitting them apart. "There's no need to fight over this! Just relax and listen to what the other has to say!"

"If we're going to die as you say, Remus," Heather shot a glare at the werewolf, "then why not try to save Sirius?"

"What if the Prophecy was wrong?" Remus countered. "What if it meant someone else? What if we can still win?"

"Every single part of the Prophecy points to Harry," Dumbledore interrupted. "He was the only one capable of defeating Tom."

"What about you?" Bridget asked. "I saw you two dueling…"

"Tom and I are too evenly matched. Neither of us can win against the other."

"So, in other words," Chris paraphrased, "we're doomed."

"Yes," Dumbledore confirmed. "Yes, we are. And I am sorry Heather, but I cannot allow you to go after Sirius. If we stand any chance of pulling through this war, we need to launch a large-scale attack at the precise moment it would hurt Voldemort the most. Once again, I am sorry." Heather glowered furiously at the Headmaster and stormed out of the meeting.

* * *

Hermione and Ron sat in the abandoned Gryffindor common room, crying quietly. The meeting had gotten on to topics Mrs. Weasley believed would be too complicated for the children, and they had been invited to leave. At the moment, Hermione had her head resting on Ron's shoulder, both of them utterly lost. 

"This wasn't supposed to happen," Hermione moaned softly. "I know that this is a war, but…I never thought it would come to this."

"I know. Fred dieing and Percy turning dark is bad enough for me to handle, but…Harry's always the one make it through alright. The fact that he's dead just-doesn't seem right."

"I loved him Ron. As a brother," she added. "He might have been a bit temperamental at times, but…"

"He was always there when you needed him. He's the bravest person I've ever known."

"Why couldn't it have been me?"

"Hermione, sh, that's not going to help anything," Ron muttered, pulling her closer."We have to continue what he started."

"We can't Ron! We can't...only Harry could have..."

"Harry told me once that their was another person the Prophecy could have meant, maybe..."

"Ron," Hermione scolded, "we know it was him. Dumbledore said so."

"What if Dumbledore's wrong though?"

"Well...there is Remus and Heather fighting about Sirius; I guess I see both of their points, but…I don't see what's so wrong about Heather trying to rescue him.Maybe Dumbledore is wrong...oh, who am I kidding?"

"I betHeather doesn't trust Dumbledore as much, now that he's proven that even he has his faults," mentioned Ron.

"Sirius and Heather are the two people who need each other most…they're the two that saw Harry die, they're his godparents…" Hermione trailed off. "Oh, Ron, this is awful!"

"The wizarding world as we know it is actually coming to an end."

* * *

"Professor?" Ginny tapped lightly on Heather's door; she pushed it open to find her, Nikki, and Chris pouring over a chart on the table. They looked up as she entered, and told her to close the door. "Er-I just wanted to apologize for what my mum said to you before…she didn't really mean it. She cares a lot about her kids, and always thought of Harry as an seventh son-you heard how she said she lost three children-this was her worst fear come true." 

"I know," Heather sighed, dropping into a chair. "I got a bit out of hand at the meeting as well. It's just that I can't stand the thought of Sirius being tortured, I got enough guilt from when he was in Azkaban to last me twelve life times."

"Guilt?" Chris raised his eyes from the parchment. "Why guilt?"

"I never stepped forward to say anything. Sirius never actually told me that they'd switched Secret Keepers, I was just speculating-and I was afraid of getting hurt all over again if they hadn't. If I had said something, who knows? Maybe Sirius would have been freed a long time ago, and we'd have gotten married and raised Harry. Maybe none of this would have even happened."

"Don't say that," Nikki reprimanded. "Everything happens for a reason-we just haven't figured this reason out yet."

"What are you doing in here, anyway?" Ginny asked, hoping to change the subject.

"This is a map of Azkaban," Chris replied, holding it up. "Heather and Nikki are going to go in and rescue Sirius."

"We're going to try," Heather corrected.

"No, you're going to get him out of there. And I'm going to cover for them."

"Then I'll help you," Ginny told him. "I know loads of excuses from the twins…George is actually closing Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. He says he can't do it without Fred and Harry. Get the Great Padfoot back here, or George might never crack a joke again!"

"Will do, Ginny. _Portus_!" Heather waved her wand at the map, creating a Portkey. "The Minister is dead," she shrugged at the odd looks Ginny and Nicole gave her. "Who's going to stop me?" She and Nicole then took hold of the parchment and were gone in a jolt of color.

"Good luck," Chris whispered at the space they stood a moment ago. "And come back safely."

* * *

"Remus, you need to calm down," Bridget told him. 

"But I can't get over what Heather said, when she asked if I cared about Sirius at all. Of course I care! It's just…"

"Just what, honey?"

"I don't even know anymore. I just don't. All of a sudden, Sirius is gone and Harry is dead-they were like a brother and a nephew for me…I failed Lily and James, Bridget. I failed them."

"So what are you sitting here for?"

"I don't know what to do, that's what," he snapped at her. She chose to ignore it.

"I think you do, Remus. Listen to your instincts." She left the room, leaving Remus to ponder her words.

* * *

Tonks was alone, pacing through the kitchens. She'd remained quiet during the meeting and slipped out early-no one had noticed. The summer she'd met Sirius both of her parents had died-the Animagus sort of took up her father's role. He always had a joke to cheer her up whenever she was down, and was the person Tonks confided in the most. And yet, no one had even bothered to ask how she felt about all of this. 

And Harry. He was a bit like a little brother to her, through their connection in Sirius. When Sirius had gone through the Veil, she had vowed to take care of the boy, whether he wanted it or not. And look at how well she had done. She quietly asked the House Elves to find her a snack, knowing they'd raid a quarter of the kitchens for her. They came back with a tray of goodies, including-muffins.

Tonks's mind raced back to the previous summer, and the muffin war that had ensued. "Fear the mighty muffin…" she whispered to herself, fighting tears. Abandoning the food, she quickly raced out of the kitchens in search of Remus. She'd talk some sense into that man; she knew what they had to do.

**And so ends our sad, sad chapter. THE STORY IS STILL NOT DONE, we haven't killed enough people yet. Please review, please please please!**


	42. The Power the Dark Lord Knows Not

**Next chapter. only two more to go before this series is finished, then one w/ deleted scenes. Review and they'll come faster. Our goal is 150 reviews by the end. Think you can do it? All we own is the plot and our ocs.**

Chapter 42

The Power the Dark Lord Knows Not

Heather and Nicole landed in an abandoned hallway of the prison, both looking around wildly for a guard of some sort-there was none. They glanced at each other in suspicion, and began searching for Sirius.

"This is creepy," Nicole muttered as they went through their fifth Death Eater-less corridor. Parts of the walls were missing and moonlight was pouring in, casting eerie shadows on the stone. Their footsteps echoed forever, and the ceiling looked like it was about to cave in. There wasn't any sign that someone had been there since the prison was broken into, and it was getting rather unnerving.

"I know," Heather agreed, looking up from the map. "You think he'd put someone out here, right? Unless he wants us to find Sirius…"

"Like a trap?"

"Exactly."

"Oh well," Nikki shrugged. "Don't care anymore."

"I know the feeling. Now, if I were Voldemort, I'd put Sirius in his old cell, which is just about 100 yards that way," Heather pointed to their left.

"So we just go in, rescue Sirius, reactivate the Portkey, and leave, right?"

"In theory, yes…" Heather replied. "However, I highly doubt it will be that easy."

"You never know, we haven't had any problems yet, right? I mean, Voldemort could have gone insane or something."

"That would only make things worse. Though, Sirius seemed convinced that he's already a bit mentally ill. Harry told me once that Voldemort is actually a half-blood. His father was a Muggle."

"He's a half-blood and he's trying to destroy Muggles and Muggleborns?"

"Yes, a bit crazy, isn't it?" Heather remarked.

"I've got a question, though. Why do most people here call him You-Know-Who? Is it forbidden to say his name or what?" Nikki asked.

"People here are terrified of him. They thought that by saying Voldemort's name, it would bring him to them."

"But you and Sirius say it," Nikki pressed. "So do Ron and Hermione."

"Harry got them to say it. He'd never been brought up to fear the name, because he'd never heard it," Heather explained.

"Why fear it in the first place? So what, he's evil. There've been other Dark Lords-" Heather cut her off with a wave of her hand and motioned for her to stop. They tiptoed up to an old metal door and strained their ears to make out Lord Voldemort's cold, mocking voice.

"Has the mutt had enough yet? Or would you like me to continue?"

"Just kill me already," Sirius's hoarse voice answered.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you, Black? To be with all the precious little Potters again?" There was silence as Voldemort paced back and forth. "Well, I must say that you have grown rather boring to play with, you don't even seem to care about this lovely veil sitting next to you. Perhaps I'll have you put down. Your fiancée would probably put up more of a fight anyway, wouldn't she?"

"Leave Heather alone," Sirius snapped angrily.

"Why? It's much too fun to torment everyone you care about." Beside Nikki, Heather was shaking with rage, her eyes blazing with utter loathing.

"Professor, what are we going to do?" she asked quietly.

"We're going to go in there and destroy him."

"We can't," Nikki reminded her.

"Then we're going to go in there and die in the process of trying to destroy him."

"Heather?"

"He killed my sister, my brother-in-law, my nephew, my parents, and it'll be over my dead body if he kills my fiancé!" she snarled viciously, kicking the door open and sending a mass of spells throughout the area. "I DO!" Heather roared as Nikki ran in as well, throwing every curse, hex, and jinx she could think of at the Dark Lord.

"What, do you want to play as well?" he sneered, knocking both of them onto the ground with a wave of his hand. Neither of them could move, and Voldemort snapped his fingers, making them appear next to Sirius's bruised and bloody form. "Look, isn't it cute? Now, who should I kill first? Not Black, of course, it'll be much more entertaining to see his reactions, hmm…"

Nikki glanced around the room as Heather and Sirius whispered frantically to each other, looking for a way out. Nicole was pretty sure this room never existed when Azkaban had prisoners in it, but one never knew. It was filled with numerous dark artifacts designed just to inflict as much pain as possible. Off to the corner was the Black Veil. They'd covered that in Salem's History of Magic Class, which was a lot more interesting than Binns. Rumors were that Salazar Slytherin had created it, to dispose of Muggles without having to dirty the wizard's magic in the process. Despicable.

"Why not little Harry's girlfriend?" Voldemort suddenly hissed in morbid delight. Nikki yelped as his long fingers dug into her neck, drawing blood. "You want to see Harry again? So be it!" he roared, pointing his wand right at her heart. He had almost finished the Killing Curse when an unearthly screeching filled the room. Voldemort lowered his wand in shock and scanned the chamber madly for the source of the noise.

A blazing heat suddenly whipped through the room and Voldemort cried out in pain. Whatever spells he had placed on Sirius and Heather vanished, as did those on Nikki, who began struggling violently. The wounds Sirius had sustained over the course of the week were instantly healed, and both he and Heather got up slowly, searching for the cause of the odd magic.

The screeching got louder and louder until it was impossible to hear anything else; while it didn't bother Heather, Sirius, or Nikki much, it seemed to be poison to Voldemort, whose face was contorted in agony. An intense, blinding fire swept through the room, knocking Sirius and Heather off their feet. The Dark Lord remained standing, but he was visibly weakening. The flames died down, and Sirius gaped at the sight of the Black Veil, which was in ashes.

More intimidating was the glowing figure standing before it, radiating power stronger than Dumbledore's. Voldemort's pale face got even paler, and he took several steps back, still clutching Nicole. Sirius and Heather stared at it, dumbfounded by the being.

"What are you?" he demanded, fear seeping into his voice. "The Dark Lord Voldemort commands you to reveal yourself!"

"You are not in the position to be commanding anyone, _Tom_," the figure sneered, and Voldemort gasped in angry realization. Standing in front of him, more powerful than ever, was Harry Potter. "You!" he growled.

"Yes, me. Didn't like those voices much, did you?" Harry was whispering, his green eyes narrowed menacingly, but the Dark Lord made out every word. "Those would be the screams of everyone you ever killed. And believe me, they're not very happy with you."

"How would you know? How are you here? Answer me!" Harry laughed quietly, moving towards him.

"'The power the Dark Lord knows not,' remember? Or did Snivellus forget to give you that part of the Prophecy?"

"Why is it that every time I try to kill you, you don't die?" Voldemort roared, tightening his hold on Nikki.

"Because, you are an evil, heartless fool. And as long as you stay that way, you will never receive what you desire," he replied softly, moving closer. "Now let Nicole go, before I'm forced to hurt you."

"I think not. The girl wants so dearly to join her parents, who am I to deny her that privilege?"

"I don't believe you heard me, Tom. Let her go." Voldemort cackled in response and raised his wand to her temple. "I said, let her GO!" Harry thundered, sending a wave of fire at the Dark Lord; he screamed in utter pain and terror and released Nikki. She ran to Harry and he put his arm protectively around her, then motioned for her to go by Sirius and Heather, turning back to Voldemort.

"Stay away from me…" Voldemort warned, inching closer and closer to the door.

"I vowed once that you would pay for the pain you've caused, and I intend to fulfill that vow," Harry stated, once again talking ominously quiet. "Prepare to die." Another bolt of flames shot at the Dark Lord and he fled, shrieking horrifically. The glow around Harry subsided and disappeared altogether. He turned to Sirius, Heather, and Nikki and smiled sheepishly, then groaned and swayed dangerously. His godfather rushed up to catch him before he fell, holding Harry close and gently shaking him.

"Harry?" he asked softly. "Harry, are you alright?"

"Unnh…I would not suggest doing that right after you've stopped being dead, it gives you an awful headache," he replied, rubbing his eyes. Sirius chuckled and repositioned Harry so that he could rest his head on Sirius's shoulder.

"You just took twenty years off my life, you realize that?"

"Twenty years off all our lives," Heather corrected. "Harry, we've missed you so much…"

"I've been gone for two hours and suddenly my fan club has tripled in size," Harry joked, while Sirius, Heather, and Nikki turned to him in confusion.

"Two hours?" Nicole repeated, staring at him. "Harry, you've been, well, I guess dead, for a week."

"What?" Harry cried, bolting up. Sirius immediately held him back. "So, I've apparently been gone for a week. What's happened? And where are we?"

"Azkaban," Heather answered. "The Order has been in disarray, Sirius was captured and taken here, and Nicole and I were going to rescue him when our plans kind of went south and Voldemort captured us as well."

"Harry, I'm so sorry, I should have protected you," Sirius sighed suddenly, gripping him tighter.

"Sirius, shut up, it wasn't your fault. And it wasn't yours either, Heather," he added. "Which reminds me…Sirius, Mum and Dad say you're an idiot for blaming yourself for their deaths, and they say they're sorry for you being sent to Azkaban. Heather, Mum says you shouldn't worry about pretending to be dead and that Dumbledore probably wouldn't have let you raise me anyway. And Nikki, my dad thinks you should die your hair all red. Something about a Potter tradition of dating redheads."

"So, you really were dead?" Heather breathed after the account.

"Well, not according to them, I wasn't. But I wasn't alive, either. I don't know, I was too stunned by seeing them to really understand."

"You can talk more about it later," Nikki suggested. "We should leave before Voldemort comes back with reinforcements."

"Right," Sirius agreed. "Harry, can you walk?"

"I'll be fine," he muttered as Sirius released him and helped him up. He kept an arm around Harry, just in case. Harry didn't protest. "Sirius, here, take Flint's wand." Sirius nodded in thanks and slipped it into his robes. Heather took the map they had used to get there and attempted to reactivate it-attempted being the key word.

"Um…I believe there are anti-Portkey wards put up around the prison."

"Now what?" Nikki questioned.

"There's got to be a fireplace, right?" asked Harry.

"Wrong," Sirius remarked. "The only way to get out of Azkaban is to cross the ocean." The four of them exchanged nervous glances, then Sirius shook his head in recollection. "There is one place that was rumored to have a fireplace, but no one was ever sane enough to prove it."

"Time to prove it, then," Heather stated, looking down at the parchment. "Where was it?"

"You'll never know," Bellatrix cackled evilly from behind them.

"Dang it woman, you're really starting to annoy me!" Nikki shrieked. Sirius and Heather immediately drew their wands and made a kind of human shield in front of Harry, blocking him from view. Malfoy, Rabastan and Rodolphus stood next to her, smirking wickedly.

"So the dog's out of his cage, is he?" mocked Bellatrix. "Dear little Sirius isn't going to help you win this war, though. You're done for."

"We'll see about that," Heather jeered. She, Nikki, and Sirius immediately started dueling, and weren't doing that badly, either. Harry watched on, annoyed that even his girlfriend was trying to protect him, when he was hit in the back with the Cruciatus curse and couldn't resist screaming. Sirius turned around sharply, only to be hit with the same spell from Malfoy. That left just Nicole and Heather fighting who-knew-how many Death Eaters, and weakening as each second went by.

All of a sudden, a large number of spells went flying through the air from behind the Lestranges and hit many of the Death Eaters, ending the Cruciatus on Sirius and Harry. Even with the extra help, however, there were too many for them to handle, and before he realized it, Harry sent off a ring of fire that somehow caused each of the Death Eaters to vanish.

"What in the world was that?" Tonks yelled. She and Bridget had convinced Remus that he needed to rescue Sirius as well, and it was the three of them that had helped Nikki and Heather.

"The power the Dark Lord knows not, that's what," Heather replied. Tonks and Bridget stopped in their tracks and shared looks of confusion while Remus, realizing what she had meant, sprinted full force toward them and knelt down to embrace Harry.

"You're alive," he whispered.

"Yeah, I know. My parents say that you're supposed to keep Heather and Sirius in check and have fun at your wedding, whenever that is."

"Keep them in check!" he cried. "What about you?"

"Well, yeah, me too."

"Harry, lie down," Bridget ordered. Heather had just explained to her and Tonks the current situation, and Bridget took it upon herself to make sure Harry was fine after his experience with the Veil. "You're magically exhausted; besides that, as healthy as you were before any of this happened. I'd suggest not trying to throw fire at Death Eaters for awhile."

"Right, I'll remember that."

"It's good to have you back, Harry. We missed you!" Tonks wailed, giving him a hug rivaling that of Mrs. Weasley. "Now, how do we go home?"

"Swim," Sirius responded.

"Very funny," Remus remarked.

"Not kidding. Unless you can find the one place in this building that's rumored to have a fireplace."

"You're joking, right?" Bridget laughed.

"If I was, would we still be here?" he questioned.

"Well, according to the lovely map I have here," Heather interrupted, "there could potentially be a fireplace in the room right here." She turned and opened an old wooden door, walking cautiously into it. "AHA! Fireplace!"

"We have no floo powder," Nikki mentioned.

"We also have a much bigger problem," Remus announced, staring at something down the hallway.

"Dementors…" Tonks moaned.

"Now what?" Bridget shrieked. Sirius and Harry both started shivering.

"There's no way anybody but Harry could fight off that many Dementors," Remus explained. "We're in trouble. Lots of trouble."

"We're trapped," Heather gasped.

"Bridget," Nikki began, "would it be alright if Harry used more magic?"

"The amount of concentration and power the Patronus charm takes would probably put him in a coma," she replied.

"That's not what I meant. You know how Fawkes can go from place to place in a flash of fire? I think he can take others with him…" she trailed off, glancing at Harry.

"It's too risky!" Heather protested. "He'll hurt himself!"

"And I'll hurt all of you if I don't," Harry muttered with determination.

"No, Harry, you can't!" Remus argued.

"I don't have a choice!"

"Just let him do it," Sirius suggested. "He's proved he can take care of himself." Harry closed his eyes, concentrating on where he wanted to be. Remus, Heather, Sirius, Bridget, and Nikki all held onto him, and the next moment, they were in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

"Harry, you did it!" Nicole exclaimed.

"Hooray for me…" Harry murmured, before collapsing into Sirius's arms.

**We're now laughing hysterically. You thought we killed Harry! HA! Anyway, to clear things up...what Harry's been doing for the past week (or two hours, depending on how you look at it) will be covered in the next chapter. Now, about the "Final Confrontation." Did we ever say who's final confrontation it was? No, we didn't. It happened to be Sirius and Snivellus. That ought to teach you not to jump to conclusions when dealing with us. HEEHEE! Please review!**


	43. The Deeper and More Complex Thoughts

**We're so very sorry about the wait! We had major writer's block, then the real 6thbook came out, and then we started school! But no, it hasn't been abandoned! We'll shut up and let you read.**

**NOT OURS!**

Chapter 43

The Deeper and More Complex Thoughts of Harry Potter

Chris and Ginny were still in Heather's office when they looked up suddenly from their rather depressing game of Wizard's Chess at the sound of other voices in the room. Searching for the source, they spotted Heather, Nikki, and company, along with another very familiar man.

"Sirius! You did it!" Ginny squealed, abandoning the chessboard.

"That's not all we did!" Nikki screamed, launching herself into Chris's arms and giggling hysterically. He patted her back in confusion.

"Um…okay…" he began. Tonks and Heather also started laughing uncontrollably, causing Ginny and Chris to think they'd had a bit too much Firewhiskey the previous night. Remus smiled widely at the two of them, and although he wasn't chuckling, it looked like he would be momentarily.

"Are you…sane?" Ginny asked, taking a precautionary step back.

"Never been better, Ginevra."

"Alright, then why is everyone…uh…crazy?" Chris questioned.

"The return of a certain someone," Bridget replied. At that point, Sirius stood up and turned to face them. In his arms was an unconscious, but obviously alive, Harry. Ginny gasped, her eyes wide open in shock, and immediately broke down into tears. Chris stood still, completely stunned.

"But…" he spluttered. "The Veil…dead…what?"

"Ask Harry, 'cause we're just as lost as you," Sirius remarked. "He can tell us more when he wakes up. Bridget, do you have anything you can give him?" She nodded in assurance as Sirius laid Harry down on the sofa. Bridget rushed off to the hospital wing, leaving the seven of them with strict instructions on how to care for him until she got back.

"Someone please explain this to me," Ginny murmured. "He's dead, everyone said so. And what happened?"

"We have no idea," Heather admitted.

"We'd just gotten into the room where Sirius was and Voldemort was going to kill me," Nikki continued. "All of a sudden, the Veil like, I don't know. It's like it blew up or something. Anywho, Harry's just standing in front of it, and he's glowing."

"You could feel the power coming off of him," interrupted Sirius. "He even shot fire at Voldemort, then got really weak. We fought some Death Eaters and tried to get out, but the Dementors came. Harry managed to transport us with the phoenix fire, but it left him magically drained, which is why he's out cold right now." Bridget then returned, bringing a single vial of some purple liquid with her.

"Here," she stated, thrusting it at Sirius. "He should drink this right now, but you'll have to wake him up first. And good luck with that."

"Great, leave me with the hard job," he muttered. "Harry. Harry, wake up. C'mon, I know you can hear me, wake up."

"That's not going to get anything done, Sirius. You've got to be a bit more forceful. HARRY!" Heather yelled, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him. However, he still didn't wake up.

"Can't we just give the potion to him while he's sleeping?" Tonks yawned. "I'm tired too, you know."

"Fine," Bridget conceded. "Sirius, lift Harry up." She proceeded to pour it in his mouth, causing him to bolt up and start gagging.

"Finally awake, I see," Nikki smiled, on the verge of tears.

"Ugh," Harry coughed. "What was that? Tastes repulsive."

"Magical energy restorative draught," Bridget replied. "How are you feeling?"

"Exhausted."

"And understandably so," Heather nodded. "Think you can tell us what happened in the Veil?"

"No," he murmured. "Have you got a Pensieve?"

"Right here, Harry," Dumbledore had suddenly appeared in the middle of the room, blue eyes twinkling fiercely. "And welcome back."

"How long have you been here?" Remus asked.

"Long enough," he replied, dumping the Pensieve into Remus's arms and embracing Harry.

"Um…I missed you, too?" Heather cleared her throat loudly in annoyance at the Headmaster.

"I'm sorry about all of this, Miss Windling. If there's anything I can do to make it up to you…"

"There is actually," she interrupted, suddenly pulling Sirius close to her. "I do." Dumbledore smiled mischievously.

"In that case, I present you with Mr. and Mrs. Sirius Black. You may kiss the bride." The office broke into applause as Sirius and Heather leaned towards each other, but then hesitated. Remus sighed in exasperation and forcefully shoved Heather into Sirius. The pair held their ground for a good few minutes until Sirius finally gathered up the courage and drew her closer; their lips met and Remus let out a whoop of excitement, uncorking a bottle of champagne he had gotten out of Heather's desk drawer and drenching Sirius and Heather in it. Neither one, however, seemed to care that much, however and were both laughing hysterically.

"After almost sixteen years you're finally married!" Bridget cried.

"And they all lived happily ever after," Ginny quipped. "The end." Dumbledore left soon afterwards, stating that preparations had to be made, and he would return in the morning.

"Now," Harry sighed, "how do you work this thing?"

"Here, just think about it," Sirius instructed, putting Marcus Flint's wand to Harry's temple and extracting the strands of thought.

"Now that that's said and done with, I believe I'll go to home," mentioned Tonks. "Goodnight." She entered the fireplace and disappeared with a flash.

"Sirius, Remus, Heather and Bridget, you can have a look at my memories if you want. I think you might enjoy a fair bit of them," Harry grinned.

"And I'll stay here with him while you do," Nikki suggested. Chris and Ginny nodded, remaining as well.

"Right. We'll be back in a bit," Remus told them as they plunged into the Penseive. Ginny and Chris left soon after to get snacks from the kitchens.

"Harry, I was so lost without you," Nikki sniffed, snuggling closer to him.

"I'm sorry. I never meant to leave you alone and I'll never do it again, either."

"You can't be sure of that."

"I don't care," Harry announced with determination. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Nicole whispered back. When Ginny and Chris returned, they found both of them asleep. Nikki's head was lying on Harry's chest, while Harry had his arm protectively around her.

"That's so sweet," Ginny cooed. Chris searched the room for a camera, finding one eventually. He was able to snap a picture without even causing the couple to stir. "Think we can use it as blackmail?"

"Bet on it," Chris smirked.

* * *

"Go fish." A man with messy black hair was seated at an old wooden table, playing cards with a redheaded woman. The air around them was dark and swirling, but the two were able to see just fine.

"James Edward Potter, I know you have a five!"

"I said, go fish," the man repeated.

"Why should I? You asked me for a five just two turns ago! Now give it to me before I…" Another figure suddenly flew through thin air and landed spread-eagled on the table. "Uhhh…okay…" she trailed off, confusion etched onto her face.

"Is he…dead?"

"Of course he's dead!" the woman answered exasperatedly. "Why would he be here if he wasn't dead?"

"But he's not moving! Even if he was dead he should still be moving!" her husband argued.

"You have no idea how much sense that didn't make."

"But…."

"Hush," she snapped, for the person had begun to stir.

"Wha…? What happened?" he asked blearily, using his elbows to prop himself up. In doing so, James and Lily caught a glimpse of his face and froze in shock. It was him. It was their son. It was…

"Harry," Lily breathed as soon as she had regained her voice. He turned to look at her in confusion.

"What did you say?"

"Harry," she repeated, a little louder. "Harry!" His eyes widened in recognition, and he shook his head slowly.

"No…no, this isn't happening…I can't be here…."

"Harry?" Lily asked softly, moving towards him. James was still attempting to comprehend everything, and hadn't stirred. His wife, however, was now inches away from their son; both were examining each other. Lily reached out her hand to stroke Harry's face and went right through him. That seemed to be enough to jolt James out of his stupor, and he cried out in shock.

"Harry! What are you doing here?" With that, James lunged at his son, but Lily caught him by the back of his robes and stopped him short.

"James, something's wrong."

"Of course something's wrong!" he replied heatedly. "Our son has just died!"

"But James…I can't touch him."

"What's going on?" Harry interrupted. "What am I doing here? What happened? How do I get back?"

"Harry…you don't get back. You can't. Believe me, son, I've tried. I tried so many times…"

"No!" Harry protested, cutting his father off. "No! I have to get back, I can't be here! That means Voldemort…Voldemort…"

"Voldemort won," James finished softly.

"But…" Harry faltered, looking into his parents' eyes in desperation. "Can't I somehow…isn't there anything?"

"I've looked since we got here, trying to find a way back to you. There isn't, or I would have found one."

"I can't touch him," Lily repeated.

"What does that matter?" Harry asked dejectedly. "I let Voldemort win."

"You didn't let him win, I'm sure you fought…" James coaxed.

"Of course I fought, but that obviously wasn't good enough, was it?"

"I don't believe either of you realize the importance of this situation," Lily said slowly. James turned his gaze on her incredulously.

"What do you mean, we don't realize the importance of this situation! Our son is dead!"

"No, he's not."

"He's not?" James echoed.

"I'm not?"

"No, I don't think you are," she explained. "I can't touch you. If you were really dead, we'd be able to touch."

"So, does that mean I can go back?" Harry questioned hopefully.

"Well…"

"That guarded 'well' is never a good sign," James sighed in defeat. Harry looked back to his mother for some form of intense revelation that would get him home.

"Well…you're not dead, or we'd be able to touch you. But you're not alive either, or you wouldn't be here at all. So…I'm not sure what any of it means. I don't mean to destroy your hopes, but…I don't think there's anything we can do, even if you're not dead. I'm sorry."

"Don't say that!" Harry shouted passionately. Lily flinched from the sudden outburst, but let Harry continue. "You two have nothing to be sorry about! If it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't have grown up at all! You could have easily let him take me and save yourselves but you didn't! You protected me instead and…and I'm not really sure where that rant was going."

"We understand, Harry," Lily assured him. "We love you, too."

"And if we could actually touch you, we'd hug you," James added, earning him a smack on the head. "What? It's true!"

"Here's a lesson for you: ignore your father whenever he attempts humor."

"Hey! I do not attempt humor, I…"

"You're right, you don't attempt, you just fail miserably," Lily teased. "Now, Harry, before James goes off on a tangent about how funny he can be, we need to talk." Harry nodded mutely, and James sobered up enough to turn the table Harry was still sitting on into a couch.

"How'd you do that?"

"We're dead," James answered as he and Lily sat down next to him. "They have to give us something to amuse ourselves with. Now, first question: why in the world are you wearing a tux?"

"Oh!" Harry looked down at himself for the first time and laughed quietly. "Sirius's wedding."

"He actually got married?" James asked in amazement.

"Well…technically not, since the Death Eaters attacked before Heather could say her part of the vow, but he intended-"

"Death Eaters?" Lily interrupted. "Please, start from the beginning."

"Of the wedding?"

"No. The day we died. Everything after that."

"Are you sure you want…"

"Yes," James clarified. "Everything right down to exact time of day you got your Hogwarts letter."

"Just to warn you, you're not going to like it."

"It needs to be done," his mother murmured, James nodding in solemn agreement.

"Alright. After you died, Voldemort tried to kill me. But because you sacrificed yourself, the curse bounced back and hit him. All I got was this," Harry explained, pushing back his bangs and revealing the lightning bolt scar.

"Oh, that's all, is it?" James replied sarcastically. Lily elbowed him in the stomach.

"But then if Peter, sorry, Wormtail, had told Voldemort where we were, that means Sirius got to you before anyone else, right? He should have known, we made sure of that."

"From what he's said, he had a strange feeling and tried to check on Wormtail. He realized what was happening, but was too late."

"We should have figured it out. We should have seen right through that piece of scum, then none of this would have happened."

"Wait," Lily began. "You said that the curse bounced back and hit Voldemort, didn't you? Then wouldn't you have killed him?"

"I wish," Harry replied dejectedly. "I'm not really sure what happened. I half-killed him, sort of turned him into this bodiless thing, but no. He didn't die."

"Creep never knew when to give up," James growled.

"_Too true," Sirius muttered, knowing full well that no one but Remus, Heather, and Bridget could hear him._

"_Shut up Sirius,"Bridget reprimanded. "I'm trying to listen."_

"But what happened to Wormtail? Tell me Sirius found him."

"He found him, alright," Harry mumbled dejectedly. Lily and James shared a nervous glance. "Only when he did, Wormtail framed him."

"You're not saying what I think you're saying…Sirius…he…"

"Sh, James, he'll explain."

"Sirius had him cornered, but Pettigrew shouted that Sirius had killed you, then blew up the street with his wand behind his back, but off his finger, and transformed, leaving Sirius in the middle of it with his wand out. They sent him to Azkaban without a trial."

"NO!" James roared, jumping off the sofa. "He's innocent! Innocent, you idiots! He'd never betray us!"

"James, just let him finish."

"WHY?"

"Because, if Harry knows Sirius was framed, they must have let him go at some point," Lily explained, pulling him back onto the couch. "How did Remus take it?"

"I didn't even meet Moony until my third year."

"But…hold on. Sirius is in prison, you didn't know Remus…who raised you?" James demanded. Harry closed his eyes and leaned back into the couch. He knew that question would come up, but he was in no way prepared to answer it. Lily did that for him.

"Oh no. Not her, please tell me you didn't-"

"Live with the Dursleys?" Harry replied darkly. "Why do you ask?"

"If I wasn't dead, I'd kill Dumbledore!" snarled James. "He promised not to take you there. We made him swear it!"

"In all truth, he had a legitimate reason."

"What the heck kind of reason could make him abandon that promise!" Lily screamed. "My sister-"

"Exactly," Harry interrupted. "Your sister. Because you sacrificed yourself in order to save me, a sort of blood protection was formed, and as long as one of your living relatives took me in, that protection would stay. I'm not in any way, shape, or form saying that either they or me enjoyed it, but at least no Death Eaters tried to off me before I even learned I was a wizard."

"She didn't even tell you?" Lily shrieked. "Then how did she explain us?"

"Do you really want-"

"YES!"

"Neither of you worked, and Dad, you were an alcoholic. You died in a 'car crash,' which is how I got my scar. I didn't know anything about magic or wizards until Hagrid was sent to personally take me to Diagon Alley."

"How did they treat you?" Lily asked, dreading the answer.

"Like a servant. They kept me in that cupboard under the stairs until the owls tried to deliver my Hogwarts letter, when they gave me Dudley's second bedroom."

"I hate Petunia so much right now,"

"Heather is Lily's sister, too. Why not let her take you?"

"Because everyone thought she was dead, that's why not. I didn't even meet her until this school year; she was my Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"I feel so pathetic asking this question, but I have to know," James said miserably. "How old are you?"

"A month from seventeen. We just finished 6th year."

"Our son grew up and we never even got to see his first broom ride. You do ride, though, don't you?"

"Honestly, is that all you think about? What are you going to do if he says, 'no, I don't ride a broom, I hate Quidditch.' Disown him?"

"You don't have to worry about it, I play."

"Yes!" James cried in triumph. "There's one thing that went right in your life. What position?"

"Seeker."

"Now that you mention it, you do look a lot like a Seeker. You're thin – side-effect of living with the Dursleys?"

"How'd you guess?" Harry answered dully.

"Never mind that now," Lily suggested. "C'mon, tell us more. Anything exciting happen in your first year at Hogwarts?"

"Gryffindor?" James asked eagerly.

"Of course."

"Yes! That's two!"

"James!" Lily scolded. "What would you have said if he was in some other house?"

"As long as it wasn't Slytherin, I wouldn't have minded."

"About that…" Harry trailed off, chuckling nervously. "The Sorting Hat almost put me in Slytherin. It recognized the powers that Voldemort transferred to me when the curse rebounded…"

"What sort of powers?" James asked suspiciously. Harry looked to his mother in apprehension, who motioned for him to continue. Deciding it would be best to get it over with, Harry began talking in Parseltongue. And scaring the living daylights out of his parents.

"What. Was. That?" James whispered anxiously after getting back on the couch (he'd fallen off in shock.)

"Parseltongue. The ability to talk to snakes," Lily answered. "But why did it put you in Gryffindor?"

"I asked it not to. Ron had said-"

"Back up," James requested. "Who's Ron?"

"One of my best friends. Ron Weasley."

"Red hair, five brothers?" James asked.

"And a sister, but yeah, that's Ron. I met him on the train after Fred and George, his twin brothers, by the way, told him who I was. But Ron had said that Slytherin was where all the dark witches and wizards went, so I didn't want to end up there, and told the hat. It put me in Gryffindor."

"Alright, so Ron is one of your best friends. Anyone else we should know about?" James tried to nudge him, winking.

"James, we're talking about first year. I highly doubt that Harry had any romantic life when he was eleven. But what about your other friends?"

"I only really had one other, and that's Hermione. She's a Muggleborn, and the smartest student in Hogwarts."

"Sounds familiar, doesn't it?" James asked with a laugh.

"Did you ever meet Neville Longbottom? Frank and Alice were two of the best Aurors in the war."

"Yeah, Neville and I are friends. But you won't like what happened to his parents. After Voldemort fell, they were tortured to insanity by Bellatrix Lestrange, among others. Neville's lived with his grandmother ever since."

"Even after Voldemort was gone?" Lily questioned.

"They figured the Aurors would know where he was."

"Enough of that," James growled. "What else happened during your first year?"

"Well, I thought Snape was trying to kill me…"

"WHAT ON EARTH WAS SNIVELLUS DOING WITHIN 100 MILES OF YOU!" James roared.

"Teaching me Potions."

"Potions? POTIONS?"

"Yeah. But it turns out it he didn't have it in for me. Not yet, at least. It was my Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Quirrell. He was serving Voldemort, so he tried to get the Sorcerer's Stone to bring his master back. In the process, he let in a troll that Ron and I had to save Hermione from. Then we had to get past a giant three-headed dog, a Devil's Snare, a bunch of flying keys, a giant chessboard, and a wall of magical fire, so I could go head Quirrell off and get the stone instead. But the good news is that I got on the Quidditch team."

"Hogwarts has indeed changed since we were students, hasn't…wait, Quidditch team? Yes! That's three!"

"Doesn't Snape teaching me cancel those out?" Harry asked.

"For your father, the Gryffindor Quidditch team has more importance than anything else, so I'd have to say no."

"Hey, it's not as important as you, Lily."

"Nice save," Harry muttered. _Sirius and Remus nodded in agreement._

"I thought it was," James murmured back.

"Anyway, what about second year?"

"A basilisk tried to kill all the Muggleborns at Hogwarts because Voldemort had preserved himself in a diary which Lucius Malfoy gave to Ginny so she was being possessed and opening the Chamber of Secrets, but I killed it with Fawkes's help and Gryffindor's sword."

"Oh," Lily replied. "That's…"

"Wicked. My son is only twelve and he's killing giant snakes! Yes!"

"James, he could have been hurt!" Lily reprimanded.

"But he obviously wasn't!"

"Well, I would have been if Fawkes hadn't healed me."

"See!"

"Harry, get on to third year before she starts yelling!" James pleaded.

"Fine," Harry replied with a laugh. "I think you'll like third year. Murderers try killing me."

"What? Who?" Lily demanded, starting to panic.

"A certain escaped convict named Sirius Black."

"He escaped? No one's ever done that! Way to go Padfoot!"

"Yeah. It turns out that he saw a picture of Wormtail, or should I say, Scabbers, in the paper."

"Scabbers?" Lily asked.

"Ron's pet rat. Wormtail went to live with a wizarding family. Sirius saw him and escaped, but kept appearing everywhere as the Grim, making me and everyone around me (except for Hermione, who didn't believe in Divination) think I would die. Then Lupin helped me learn the Patronus charm to protect myself from the Dementors…"

"Hold your horse there! Moony-"

"Was my Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"I thought that was Quirrell!" James said in confusion.

"It was, but he died. Then Lockhart lost his memory…"

"_Gilderoy_ Lockhart?" James shrieked. "Pretty boy Gildy?"

"James!" Lily cried, smacking him. "Lockhart was a few years ahead of us. Very full of himself, he was."

"He tried to wipe my memory to keep me from saving Ginny," Harry put in.

"Really. In that case, I agree with James. But what were you were saying?"

"Moony came and taught instead. But since the Ministry thought that Sirius was trying to kill me, they put Dementors all around the school. Nasty things. Hated them. Anyway…"

"You heard us," Lily murmured.

"What?" James questioned.

"The Dementors. You heard us. The night he came."

"How did you know?" asked Harry confusedly.

"Call it mother's intuition. And I'm sorry again, Harry. You never should have gone through all this."

"No, it's not your fault, honestly. Don't say that."

"But please, third year," James prodded. "We've got a bit more of your life to get through yet." Harry smiled at him in relief; the subject was beginning to get uncomfortable.

"At the end of the year, Sirius as a dog, dragged Ron into the Whomping Willow, knowing I would follow, and explained everything, with Remus's help. But Wormtail got away because it was the full moon and Remus transformed, so Hermione and I had to use a time turner to rescue Buckbeak the Hippogriff and save him."

"Alrighty then," James spluttered. "But Sirius…"

"Was fine. Fourth year the Triwizard Tournament was reinstated, and the imposter Moody got me into the tournament to kill me."

"Wait, what would Moody be doing there in the first place?" Lily asked. "Last time I saw him, he was the Head Auror!"

"He was my DADA teacher."

"What happened to Moony!" James cried.

"He resigned when Snape let it slip that he was a werewolf."

"I hate that man," Lily snarled.

"I've never heard you say that before," James declared, looking at his wife in a new light. "Anyway, continue. Imposter Moody?"

"Yeah. It was part of a big elaborate scheme to get me killed and..."

"How many people are going to try to off my son?" screamed Lily. "What did he ever do to you!" James patted her arm coaxingly.

"_My thoughts exactly," Heather said vehemently._

"I lived, that's what. I'm 'the boy-who-lived.' Though I suppose now they'll have to change that."

"But you thwarted that evil plan, did you not? I mean, you didn't die, at least."

"No, didn't die. Voldemort, however, was resurrected."

"No…" Lily murmured.

"Yes," Harry replied dejectedly.

"Does nobody have the decency to stay dead anymore?"

"I-I have to ask. That night…we dueled. Voldemort and I. Our wands connected because they share the same core: a feather from Fawkes. His wand was forced to show the last people he had murdered and…"

"We came out?" Lily asked in understanding.

"We did what!"

"Not us, James. Shades of our memories, imprints of us, yes. But not us. What happened?" she prodded gently.

"He killed Cedric – well, Wormtail killed Cedric. Right after the third task. The first task was getting past a dragon and the second was going into the lake to bring Ron back out, but that's beside the point. I saved Cedric from the Durmstrang champion, who had been bewitched, and he saved me from the skrewt-er, giant fire crab sort of things," Harry added at James's confused expression. "We tried to take the cup at the same time, to tie for Hogwarts, but it was a Portkey. Moody had rigged it up, but they hadn't counted on me coming back," he finished with a sheepish grin. "Turns out it wasn't Moody at all, but Barty Crouch, Jr."

"Thought that git was in Azkaban!"

"He got out, like everyone else. Mass breakout."

"This is getting increasingly depressing," Lily muttered. "Please tell me fifth year was better."

"Fat chance. Our new Defense teacher was a complete Ministry lackey; I had to form my own illegal Defense group to even learn the practical stuff. She read our mail, so I couldn't even talk to Padfoot, and Voldemort found a way to send me visions. Some were useful, and one almost got both Sirius and me killed."

"What?"

"What!" Lily repeated.

"He sent me a fake vision; he wanted me to go to the Department of Mysteries and get the Prophecy. Dumbledore hadn't told me about it, and I didn't understand what was so important, but I knew Voldemort wanted it." James growled out something about murdering Dumbledore, but Harry continued, eager to finish the rest of the story before he lost the nerve. "He made me think that he was torturing Sirius, and I was enough of an idiot to believe him. A group of us went to the Ministry, riding thestrals, of all things, and when the Order came to come rescue us…"

"Sirius came with them," James gathered.

"Everyone thought he'd died; he fell through the Veil. It wasn't real, though!" he added hastily. "It was a Portkey. Sent him to the Sahara of all places…But then, sixth year, Heather started teaching Defense, she and Sirius got reacquainted, Sirius was freed after almost dying because Snape, being the idiot he was, revealed where Sirius was hiding…"

"That man needs to die!" James roared.

"He did. Sirius killed him a few minutes before I…died. That sounds so weird. But he was about to hand me over to Voldemort. He said he knew all about Wormtail before you were killed."

"I. Hate. That. Filthy. Vile. Disgusting. Scum. Of. A. Man!" Lily ground out, breathing heavily.

"But…" James began in terror, "if Sirius killed him, that means he's…he's…here!"

"Be thankful he's no longer living and causing pain, James. But, the Death Eaters broke up the wedding, right?"

"Yeah. Who knows what Voldemort's doing to Sirius," Harry stated darkly.

"Sirius is strong, Harry. He can take care of himself. Trust me," James winked. "I've been caught in the middle of enough pranks with him to know. But before we get off this subject too far, you'd be in 6th year. Have a girlfriend yet?" Lily cried out in exasperation, but Harry grinned embarrassedly.

"Yeah, actually…she just transferred from America this last Christmas. Her name's Nikki and she's really…"

"Beautiful?" James suggested.

"Nice?"

"Wild?"

"Caring?" put in Lily.

"Perfect," Harry declared. "We had a lot in common; she moved here because her parents had been killed by Death Eaters, she's the best Beater I've seen since Fred and George, maybe better, she's as much of a fun-loving prankster as Sirius was, and she knows exactly what to say at exactly the right time. She's…"

"Perfect?" James offered.

"Yeah…"

"Sounds like somebody's in looooooooove."

"James, give the boy a rest," Lily admonished.

"Fine, fine," he sighed before his eyes lit up in excitement and he grinned mischievously. "Harry, I seem to recall you mentioning Padfoot and Moony. Does that mean that you have a certain alter-ego as well?"

"If you mean my Animagus form, then…"

"Another illegal Animagus in the family?" Lily cried in disbelief.

"What, did you think that Sirius and Heather wouldn't teach him to carry on the Marauder tradition?" James laughed. "Come on, Harry, let's see it!" Harry grinned and complied; a bright flash of light appeared and Lily and James found themselves in the middle of a bizarre mountain range. "What the - Harry, what did you do? What happened?"

"Where is he?" Lily asked, panicked. Their attention was turned to a pile of ashes in front of them, which proceeded to burst into flames and Harry suddenly materialized from within the fire.

"What just happened?" James repeated bewilderedly.

"Destiny," a low voice rumbled from behind them. Lily and James whipped around to come face-to-face with a wall of fire.

"Um…is that supposed to happen?"

"Yes, Mr. Potter, it is indeed."

"Harry, what's going on?" Lily asked.

"Spirit, how are you?"

"Not bad. Though I have to say, you haven't come to visit in awhile. It's left me rather lonely."

"Oh, sorry, I didn't realize I could," Harry replied.

"That's because you can't. I, however, have the ability to pull strings to get you out of trouble."

"Okay, Spirit-thing, are you saying what I think you're saying?" James questioned.

"That depends, Mr. Potter. What do you think I'm saying?"

"That you can take Harry back," Lily answered for him. "Oh, please, say you can!"

"I can indeed."

"What?" Harry yelled, his eyes widening. "How?"

"I really did hope that you hadn't forgotten your Animagus form already," the Spirit replied cheekily.

"Phoenix-when it dies it's reborn from its ashes! I can go back!"

"Be warned: you won't be able to access this power again. I suggest you be a bit more careful."

"You're not lying?" Harry asked, needing more confirmation.

"Not lying."

"Not even stretching the truth just a tad?" James clarified.

"I am an ancient Spirit borne of flame that dwells in the unknown expanses of a land few chosen mortals may view. I do not stretch the truth, thank you." Lily screamed in delight, throwing her arms around Harry and James and giggling in a very Lavender Brown-ish way. Both she and Harry broke apart quickly, realizing what had happened: Lily and James had become solid.

"You're…you're gonna go home Harry. For real," Lily smiled as James ruffled his hair like Sirius always did.

"I…I'm not so sure I want to anymore…" Harry admitted. James nodded knowingly.

"You have to. I'm sorry."

"But…I just met you…I've always wanted…"

"And we've always wanted to see you, grown up, Harry," Lily agreed. "But not like this. You've got a job to do. You've still got your whole life ahead of you-"

"And from what you've told us a good-looking girl, too," James added.

"That's not the point!" Lily cried, then softened her gaze. "We'll still be here, Harry. You have to go on. And you better not get back here for a long time, understood?" Harry smiled weakly, wiping his eyes on the back of his sleeve. Lily hugged him again, and James joined in.

"Tell Sirius and Remus that we're sorry and don't blame them in the least, okay?"

"And ask them to look after you," Lily requested. Harry nodded, stepping back.

"Oh, and tell Nikki to dye her hair red! Potter tradition!"

"James!"

"Ouch!"

"We love you, Harry! Don't ever forget that!" Lily called out.

"I won't! I love you, too!" Harry yelled, waving. In a flash of fire, he was gone. Lily and James shared a kiss and turned around.

"So," James began, his eyes locking with Sirius's, "I haven't seen you four in a while."

**Trust us to leave you with a cliffie, huh? Oh well. Sorry once again and please review! We hope to be done before Christmas!**


	44. The Titleless Chapter

**It's finally here! Soooooooooooooo Sorry for the long wait, but if it makes you feel better, it was almost abandoned, so at least we finished it.**

**We're not J. K. Rowling!**

Chapter 44

The Titleless Chapter

Sirius, Remus, Heather and Bridget could do nothing but stare at James. He and Lily stood their ground, James smirking and Lily smiling softly. Remus was the first to break the silence, his words coming out in a discursive babble.

"You haven't seen…but the…spirit…fire…Halloween…you're here."

"Very good, Remus!" James mock-praised.

"Give the man a rest! It's the first time he's seen us in who knows how long! For Merlin's sake, James!"

"Fine, fine, I'll be all nice and mushy."

"Are you…actually there? Here? Really?" Heather managed to spit out.

"Why does everyone feel the need to question my competence as the Spirit of Fire? Yes, they are really here. Yes, you can talk to them, hug them, slap them silly, etc. No, you can't see them again until you die. Yes, I am serious. Anything else?"

"No, I think that's it," Bridget remarked.

"How can I ever thank…" Lily began, but was cut off.

"You can thank me by not asking any more questions," the Spirit retorted. "Good day." With a burst of light, the mountainous land disappeared, and they found themselves in something that looked strangely like the living room of Lily and James's house in Godric's Hollow.

"This is definitely being classified in the 'Too strange to think about' file," James commented, as if he were talking about the weather.

"James?" Sirius murmured.

"Sirius," James replied knowingly. The room seemed to hold its breath as they stared, transfixed, at each other. "Well, are you going to do something?"

"I was, actually, just planning on standing here until you did something."

"Well, what do you expect me to do?"

"Blame me for your deaths."

"What? Why on earth would I do that? You weren't our Secret Keeper."

"But I'm the one who suggested that you use Peter."

"So that automatically makes you responsible?"

"Yes. Yes it does."

"Padfoot, you're an idiot."

"You're both idiots!" Lily shouted, shoving James toward Sirius, just as Heather did the same with Sirius. They met in the middle in an awkward hug. Soon, the entire room was filled with people hugging, crying, and discussing old times.

"So, Sirius," James began, "is it true that you're actually going to be married?"

"Actually, Prongs, I'm already married."

"Really?"

"Yes, _really_."

"Hey, that's great! Hey, everyone! Padfoot's married!" Everyone in the room looked over at James in confusion.

"And this is news how?" Remus asked.

"Well, it's news to me," James replied.

"Where have you been, James? We've all known about that for ages!" Lily laughed.

"Well, then, this would probably be a good time to tell you two something..." Bridget shared a knowing glance with Remus.

"Don't tell me! You're getting married, too!" Lily shrieked.

"How do you do that?" Remus muttered.

"I _knew_ it! See, James, I told you they'd end up together somehow!"

"Fine, here's a galleon."

"Thanks."

Suddenly, the living room was transformed back into a mountainous land. The Spirit of Fire returned in a flash of light.

"You've all had your fun, it's time to go. We're messing up the time-space continuum here."

"We have to leave? Now?" Heather wailed.

"Are you questioning my competence as the Spirit of Fire again? I know what I'm doing, thank you very much. Now, hug, cry, do whatever you want, just make it quick. I'm on a very tight schedule."

"What on earth do you do that you have a schedule?" Sirius demanded.

"Well, actually, I have a poker tournament with the Spirit of Wind and the Spirit of Earth in ten minutes. The Spirit of Earth gets rather testy if I'm late."

"He can wait for fifteen more minutes. We haven't seen each other in fifteen _years_!" James added.

"Would you like an earthquake? And now, you've got five minutes."

"I don't know about them, but we don't have earthquakes in the Land of the Dead," Lily retorted.

"Want to bet on it?"

Seeing that they had lost, the group quickly said their good-byes and shared one last hug. With a burst of fire, they found themselves back in Heather's office.

* * *

Hermione and Ron had made themselves comfortable on the couch in the Gryffindor Common Room, mourning the loss of their friend. Hermione had been on the brink of tears all week and Ron had, without avail, tried to comfort her while fighting tears of his own. Ever since Harry's death, they had felt both feelings of deep sorrow, as well as a certain something else between them.

"Ron, I miss him, so much."

"Hermione, I told you not to bring that up."

"Ron, you can't just forget about him like that."

"I don't want to talk about this, okay?"

Hermione was about to pursue the subject further, but thought better of it upon seeing Ron's face. Ron was silent for a moment. Suddenly, he developed a strange sense of courage.

"Umm, Hermione?"

"What?"

Ron opened his mouth as if to say something, but leaned in toward Hermione instead and kissed her. For a moment, Hermione kissed him back, but pulled away.

"RON!" she shrieked, slapping him. "What on earth do you think you're doing?"

"Kissing you. What do you think I'm doing?"

"You idiot!"

"Oh, so kissing makes me an idiot?"

"Yes, it does. But, you're my idiot!" Hermione threw herself at Ron, causing both of them to fall off the couch.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Ron yelled, trying to stand up, but failing miserably. He and Hermione managed to untangle themselves and regain their composure. They both stood up, clearing their throats uncomfortably, before diving at each other. They landed on the sofa in a heap.

* * *

Harry stood in the doorway of the Common Room, his mouth hanging open as he watched the display of hormones gone awry. As he stood there gaping, Nikki walked up behind him.

"Hey, Harry? Aren't you going to go inside?"

"I had a better idea, actually," Harry whispered, pointing to the couch.

Nikki peered into the room. "Ohhhh...I get it. Are they going to come up for air any time soon?"

"Doubtful."

"So...what's the plan?"

* * *

"Why did you stop?" Ron questioned as they broke apart.

"Because, we ought not to be doing this!"

"Why not? There's nobody here, Hermione. Besides, I...um...I..."

"You what, Ron? And I meant that we should be mourning Harry, not snogging ourselves senseless."

"But I like snogging myself senseless!" Ron shouted. "I love you, Hermione!"

"Oh, Ron!" Hermione cried, "I love you, too!" She lunged at Ron just as a voice came out of nowhere.

"Well, if I'd known that dying would get you two together, I probably would've tried it a long time ago."

Hermione screamed and fell off of the couch as Ron grabbed a pillow, ready to strike anyone that came within range. He looked around and saw no one.

"Where are you?" Hermione stammered.

"Uh, yeah! Where are you?" Ron sputtered, shielding himself with the pillow. No one answered.

"Oh, come on!" shouted Hermione. "This is a really sick joke!"

"No more sick than what I just witnessed, I'm sure!" Harry's voice snickered.

"Who are you?" Ron demanded, wielding the pillow like a sword.

"You know, that looks ridiculous, Ron. And I thought by now you would have figured out who I am. I mean, honestly, I've known you since first year!"

"I – I...uh...I don't..."

Hermione gasped. "Harry? Is that you?"

"Well, _finally_ somebody figured it out!" Harry shouted exasperatedly. He whipped off his Invisibility Cloak, causing Ron to shriek in horror.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"You're – you're _ALIVE?_" Hermione squeaked. She slowly got off the sofa, stumbled over to Harry, and poked him several times.

"Hermione, what are you doing?" She smacked him in response.

"You _are_ alive!" Hermione shouted. "But, how...?"

"Well, it's a long story..."

"Oh, Harry!" Hermione threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

"Um, Hermione...can't...breathe..."

"Right, sorry." Hermione loosened her death grip on him, but remained attached to Harry.

"Hey," Nikki smirked, walking into the room. "Get off my boyfriend."

"Yeah, get off her boyfriend!" Ron added, standing up.

Hermione let go of Harry and stepped back.

"I'm sorry, I missed you!"

"I missed you, too, Hermione," Harry smiled. "All of you," he added pointedly.

Harry looked over at Ron, who stared back, his arms crossed. Harry looked down at his feet uncomfortably. Nikki and Hermione looked back and forth between them. Finally, their respective girlfriends pushed them together into an embrace.

"Harry!" Ron sobbed.

Harry patted Ron on the back. "It's okay, mate."

Hermione and Nikki exchanged a glance and both burst out laughing.

"Boys."

* * *

"Do we really have to take the Knight Bus?" Ron whimpered as he, Hermione, Harry, Nikki, Sirius, Remus, Bridget, Heather, Chris, and Ginny climbed into the purple vehicle.

"Yes. Or would you rather walk?" Hermione quipped.

"Well, I thought maybe we could, um, take thestrals or something..."

"No," Harry retorted as he stepped onto the bus, dragging Ron behind him.

"I don't get it. It's a bus. What's so bad about it?" Nikki asked.

"Just sit down," Ginny sighed. "It'll be all over soon."

The group took their seats on the first floor as the bus lurched forward with a BANG! Soon, they were careening through rural England at lightning speed.

"Wow! I don't see why you guys hate this so much!" Nikki shouted, putting her hands in the air.

"Just wait until it stops, Nikki. You'll see what we mean," Harry moaned in apprehension.

Suddenly, the bus stopped with a grinding halt at a crooked house in Ottery St. Catchpole, sending Nikki flying into Harry's arms with enough force to knock him off of his seat.

"That's why," Harry muttered as Nikki massaged her forehead.

Ron and Ginny exited the bus with tremendous relief. Everyone from their group waved goodbye as the bus sped off once more. Suddenly, Harry thought of something.

"Um, Sirius? Won't the Dursleys be expecting me back at Privet Drive? Do they know about me not coming back?"

"Dumbledore sent them an owl explaining everything. Besides, do you really think they care?"

"Well, no, but – "

Harry was cut off as the bus stopped sharply in a subdivision just outside of London.

"This is me, Harry." Hermione gave him a quick hug. "Promise you'll write?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure, Hermione. See you."

Hermione stepped off of the bus, which drove off. They eventually stopped by a private lake with a single, _very_ large house perched next to it. Harry exited the bus, his jaw hanging open in awe.

After several minutes of everyone standing there, staring at the monstrous mansion, Sirius spoke up. "So, what do you think?"

"Sirius, there is no way you need that much house," Remus stammered.

"Why not? There will be a lot of people living here."

"Well, yeah, but from the looks of it, we could all have our own private wings and still have room left over!"

Harry decided to leave the two of them to their fight and strolled up the walkway, followed by Nikki, Chris, Heather, and Bridget. They reached the gigantic oak door, which was decorated with an ornate hippogriff doorknocker. Harry glanced at Nikki and knocked loudly. They all heard the pitter patter of feet running to the door, which was soon thrown open, revealing –

"Dobby is so glad to be seeing Harry Potter, sir! Was Harry Potter's journey here comfortable? Would Harry Potter like Dobby to get some refreshments for Harry Potter and Harry Potter's friends? Would – "

"Dobby!" Harry interrupted. "First off, stop saying my name. Secondly, no, I don't need any refreshments. I think we're fine, thanks."

"At least let Dobby take Master Harry Potter's bags!"

"That would be great, Dobby. But stop saying my name!"

"Of course, Master Harry Potter!"

Harry glanced up at the huge mansion before him, back at Dobby, over at Sirius and Remus, who were still fighting, and lastly at Nikki.

"This is going to be an... interesting summer."


End file.
